Hilliard homers, notches 5 RBIs against former team

DENVER -- Sam Hilliard is a part-time player with the Rockies -- much like he was last season with the Braves. On Saturday night, he auditioned for a greater role with his new/old team.

Hilliard launched a three-run homer, a two-run double and a second double in the Rockies’ 11-8 loss at Coors Field.

“It was definitely cool to compete against former teammates and my former team, and to be able to have a good game like that, come through like that and come through a couple of times was huge,” Hilliard said. “I was glad to be in there against a lefty, get an opportunity and see some of my hard work pay off.”

The career-high five-RBI performance came in Hilliard’s 33rd appearance and 20th start since being selected from Triple-A Albuquerque on June 21. That represents a much greater slice than he received last year with the Braves, who acquired Hilliard from the Rockies the previous winter.

Hilliard was on the Braves’ Major League active roster, but appeared in just 40 games from Opening Day until July 19, when he went to the 10-day injured list with a right heel contusion. After four injury rehab games, he was placed on the 60-day IL, and found himself on his way out of Atlanta.

The Braves traded him to the Orioles, who waived him in Spring Training. The Rockies brought him home -- he broke in with them 2019-23 -- and brought him back to the Majors after he began the season at Albuquerque.

Going from a settled, powerful, contending Braves roster that prefers using its mainstays most every day if healthy to a Rockies team testing for the future could be a boon to Hilliard.

Last season, for example, he had just nine plate appearances against a left-handed pitcher. This year, after a homer and a two-run bloop double Saturday off starter Max Fried plus another double off Aaron Bummer (lefties both) the Rockies have given him a little more – 16 at-bats – and he has responded with five hits (.316) and seven RBIs.

The playing time is not anything close to full time. Hilliard is sharing outfield at-bats with lefty-hitting veteran Jake Cave, and veterans Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant use days at outfield and designated hitter to reach the field.

But lefty-swinging Nolan Jones hopes to return soon from his back injury rehab assignment at Albuquerque (he homered while going 1-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday against Sacramento). Right-handed-hitting Jordan Beck, the MLB Pipeline No. 54 and Rockies No. 3 prospect, also is at Triple-A, hopes to resume the playing time he received before going to the injured list with a broken left hand in late May. The Rockies also have moved another lefty-hitting outfield prospect, MLB Pipeline No. 64 and Rockies No. 4 Yanquiel Fernandez, to Triple-A, so he is just a move away from Denver.

Nights like Saturday represent a chance for Hilliard to warrant being slotted into the lineup.

“Every time I'm with the team, every time I play, I'm trying to show them that I'm capable of being a huge part of this lineup, and I’m getting more opportunities and more at-bats,” said Hilliard, who improved to .246 with four home runs and 13 RBIs with Saturday’s 3-for-4 game. “I’ve felt like that in the past and that’s always going to be my goal.”

Decisions will come in time. But Hilliard made his case until his final at-bat. With two out, one on and the Rockies trailing in the seventh, 10-8, he had a solid drive against Braves reliever Pierce Johnson that was the final out.

“He gave us a big boost a couple times,” manager Bud Black said.

Despite the scarce playing time last year, the spring of little opportunity in Baltimore and the need to begin at Albuquerque, Hilliard maintained a belief that there is a role for him in the Majors.

“I'm really confident in my abilities,” he said. “I know that if I get the opportunity, I'm going to put the numbers up and do my thing. That’s what you have to think. That's how you have to believe in yourself.

“Hopefully, I can keep getting the opportunities, and it's gonna speak for itself.”