Hill homers twice as Marlins record 18 hits to outslug Rockies

Derek Hill homered twice and singled to highlight Miami’s season-high 18-hit attack as the Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies 12-8 in Denver on Thursday.

Kent Stowers had three hits and four RBI, Ali Sanchez and Otto Lopez also had three hits while Connor Norby, Vidal Brujan and Jake Burger contributed two hits apiece for Miami, which earned a split of the four-game series. The Marlins won the season series 5-2.

Jesus Tinoco (1-0) tossed 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for Miami, which tied a season high in runs.

For the Rockies, Brendan Rodgers went deep twice among his three hits and Brenton Doyle singled, doubled, homered and drove in two.

The Marlins took a 2-0 lead on Hill’s leadoff homer in the second and Stowers’ RBI single in the third. Colorado tied it in the bottom of the frame on Rodgers’ first homer of the game and Doyle’s 22nd of the year.

Things got offensive in the fourth. Sanchez put Miami in front with an RBI double, moved to third on Norby’s single and scored on a double steal with Norby to make it 4-2. After Rockies starter Bradley Blalock hit Burger, Stowers followed with a two-run double.

Stowers then scored on Ryan McMahon’s error to put the Marlins ahead 7-2. Blalock (1-1) left after allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits in four innings.

Colorado rallied in its half of the inning off Marlins starter Valente Bellozo. Drew Romo hit an RBI double, Sam Hilliard scored on Ezequiel Tovar’s sacrifice fly and Rodgers hit a two-run homer, his 12th of the season, to make it 7-6. Bellozo allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings.

Miami added a run in the fifth on a groundout and three more in the seventh on another Hill homer, his seventh of the season, a two-run shot to left, and Brujan’s RBI single. Colorado got two runs back on run-scoring singles by McMahon and Doyle.

Stowers finished the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth.