De La Rosa gets the win, hits three-run double to lead mourning Rockies over Nationals 10-4

De La Rosa leads mourning Rockies over Nationals

WASHINGTON — Jorge De La Rosa had a three-run double in an eight-run third inning to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 10-4 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night in a game played hours after the Rockies learned of the death of their team president.

Keli McGregor, who had been the team’s president since 2001 and in the organization since Oct. 1993, was found dead Tuesday morning in a Salt Lake City hotel room. He was 48.

The grief-stricken Rockies had their biggest inning of the year — beginning it with five straight hits. De La Rosa had his first three RBI game and was the winning pitcher despite allowing four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He struck out six and walked four.

Colorado honored its president by hanging a jersey with the No. 88 in the dugout. That was the number McGregor wore as a two-time All-American tight end at Colorado State. He also played briefly with three NFL teams.

A moment of silence was observed, and the Rockies said they would begin wearing memorial patches on their jerseys Wednesday.

De La Rosa (2-1) has 18 wins since June 1 — most in the majors, and helped stake himself to a 10-0 lead in the third. It was the second time in the last three games the Nationals had quickly found themselves behind 10 runs. On Sunday, they allowed 10 runs in the first inning before losing 11-7 to Milwaukee.

Ryan Spilborghs followed De La Rosa’s double with a two-run home run. Dexter Fowler began the inning with a triple, Todd Helton singled for a run, Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe and Melvin Mora singled, and after Ian Stewart walked, De La Rosa doubled.

Six of the runs were charged to Scott Olsen, who was pulled after Hawpe’s RBI single. Olsen (0-1) gave up seven runs in two-plus innings in his second start of the season.

Tulowitzki’s second-inning home run and an RBI double by Stewart, gave Colorado a 2-0 lead in the second.

De La Rosa gave up Ryan Zimmerman’s two-run homer in the fifth and was relieved after allowing a double to Jason Maxwell and an RBI single to Ian Desmond to begin the sixth.

Cristian Guzman had four hits for Washington. Zimmerman had three.

NOTES: Mora had three hits — his first multi-hit game with Colorado. … Washington manager Jim Riggleman, says he’s being careful with 38-year-old catcher, Ivan Rodriguez, who was leading the National League in hitting entering the game. “We have a plan for him,” Riggleman said. “He’s been pretty adamant. He wants to play every game this week,” Riggleman said. The manager said that Rodriguez will not play Wednesday. Rodriguez had two hits — his fifth straight multi-hit game. … Colorado RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, who threw a no-hitter in Atlanta on Saturday, will pitch against the Nationals on Thursday. … Apolo Anton Ohno, the eight-time Olympic speedskating gold medalist, visited the ballpark to promote his charitable ventures and presented the Nationals lineup card to the umpires.