Rockies ride high on Lansing's cycle

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 19, 2000 | by Thomas Harding

DENVER - Colorado Rockies second baseman Mike Lansing made Father's Day special for a couple of guys from Wyoming on Sunday afternoon.

But they had to share his present - hitting for the cycle in his first four at-bats - with the crowd at sold-out Coors Field.

The Rockies added to the celebration by pounding Arizona 19-2 and overtaking the Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West.

Colorado leads Arizona, the defending NL West champion, by percentage points and is in first place for the first time since July 25, 1996. The Rockies outscored Arizona 33-7 in the two-game sweep and finished its homestand 6-2.

Lansing tripled in the first inning, added a solo homer in the second, knocked a two-run double during a nine-run third that gave Colorado a 14-1 lead, and singled in the fourth.

"I had my father here and my grandfather here, and being a father myself, that was pretty nice," said Lansing, the third major-leaguer to hit for the cycle this season.

Brent Mayne doubled twice and homered for Colorado.

Jeff Cirillo had five hits, including a two-run homer in the third inning.

Tom Goodwin added three singles and scored four runs and Terry Shumpert homered in the eighth.

Jeffrey Hammonds singled in the third to extend his hitting streak to 16 games - longest of his career and Colorado's longest this season.

"The last two days were definitely our days," Mayne said.

Rockies starter Masato Yoshii (2-7) allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings. His other victory came at Arizona on April 17.

Arizona starter Armando Reynoso, a former Rockie, gave up nine runs on 10 hits in two innings plus four batters in the third. Arizona's Greg Colbrunn, another former Rockie, homered.

Colorado set a club record Sunday with 42 total bases. The 19 runs tied a club record set June 7, 1996 against Atlanta.

The Rockies will play 17 of their next 21 games on the road. They will open a three-game series in Cincinnati on Tuesday and a three- game series in Arizona on Friday.

- Thomas Harding may be reached at tharding@gazette.com.