Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez might never leave LoDo.
In just his third career big-league game, the 21-year old rookie hit two home runs and drove in four runs Thursday, leading the Cubs to a 6-2 victory over the listless Rockies.
It was a perfect summer afternoon at Coors Field, at least for scores of blue-clad Cubs fans among the 32,585 in attendance. They got to see their club hit three home runs. Chants of “Let’s Go Cubbies” provided the afternoon’s soundtrack.
For the largely silent Rockies faithful, it was more of the same.
The Rockies have lost nine of their past 11 games and are tied with the Texas Rangers (45-69) for the worst record in the majors. How’s this for a barometer? Colorado went 2-5 against the Cubs this season, the team with the second-worst record in the National League.
Baez is writing a nice little story for himself. He also hit the game-winning homer against the Rockies in the 12th inning Tuesday night off reliever Boone Logan.
“There is a lot of thunder in that bat,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “He doesn’t look like the typical middle infielder or swing like the typical middle infielder.”
The Rockies’ pitching staff, meanwhile, continued its downward spiral. Colorado has now served up 132 home runs, most in the majors.
Starter Yohan Flande did what Flande does. The left-hander gave the Rockies six so-so innings — four runs on seven hits and one walk. The opposition eventually figured him out, as has happened in most of his starts. That proved true in the sixth inning when Baez and Starlin Castro hit back-to-back home runs to boost the Cubs’ lead to 4-2.
“I try to do my best every time I go out there,” Flande said. “A bad thing always happens in the last inning. I’ll try to fix that.”
BOX SCORE: Chi. Cubs 6, Colorado 2
Baez pulled his home run just inside the left-field foul pole on a 3-2 pitch. Castro cranked a 3-1 pitch deep into the left-field bleachers.
“One was a slider that was spinning,” he said of the homer he served up to Baez. “And the other one was a sinker but it was right in the middle.”
Baez’s other home run was a two-run shot off reliever Juan Nicasio in the eighth. Nicasio, the former starter, was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game.
After breaking out with 16 hits in their 13-4 victory over the Cubs on Wednesday night, the Rockies’ bats were shackled by Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks. He pitched eight solid innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Colorado’s only runs came on a double by Justin Morneau to score Charlie Blackmon in the fourth and a single by Corey Dickerson to score Morneau in the sixth.
“Hendricks just mixed it up really well,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado, who played against Hendricks during high school in Southern California. “He was throwing his fastball in, and they looked good to hit, then they were off the plate. He had late movement. His changeup is slow, but it works and it gets you anxious. He did a great job.”
Colorado begins a seven-game road trip Friday night at Arizona.
PHOTOS: Cubs-Rockies game Thursday at Coors Field
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp