DENVER — Ronny Mauricio is prone to chasing pitches and striking out, but the flip side is his explosive power.
The Mets were reminded Saturday why the 24-year-old rookie is so appealing on another night when the team let opportunities escape with runners in scoring position.
Mauricio blasted his first major league homer since 2023 — a 456-foot rocket in the third inning — and was on base as part of another scoring rally in helping the Mets beat the Rockies 8-1 at Coors Field.
The Mets finished 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position, but hit three homers in beating the hapless Rockies for a fifth straight time.
The Mets will go for the season series sweep Sunday.
The Mets returned to full strength with Francisco Lindor back in the lineup after missing the previous two starts with a broken right pinky toe.
Lindor singled in each of his first two at-bats and stole second both times, just in case there was any lingering concern about his toe.
A night earlier, he delivered a pinch-hit, two-run double in the ninth inning that served as the margin of victory.
Clay Holmes picked up where Kodai Senga left off a night earlier by allowing one earned run on nine hits over six innings with six strikeouts.
On Friday, Senga allowed one earned run over six innings in throwing a career-high 109 pitches.
Holmes needed just 95 pitches.
Mauricio led off the third with a bomb to right field for the game’s first run.
A night earlier, he snapped an 0-for-11 stretch with a triple that nearly cleared the left field fence.
The Mets recalled Mauricio on Tuesday when Mark Vientos was placed on the injured list with a strained right hamstring.
Ryan McMahon’s homer leading off the fourth tied it 1-1.
It was the eighth homer allowed by Holmes in his past six starts, but he’s minimized damage by surrendering most of them with the bases empty.
Jared Young cleared the left field fence leading off the fifth to get the run back for the Mets.
It was Young’s second homer in 20 at-bats with the club since his arrival from Syracuse.
Mauricio followed with a single and stole second before Brandon Nimmo delivered an RBI single that extended the lead to 3-1.
Holmes allowed a bloop double to Hunter Goodman in the fifth to put runners on second and third with two outs before retiring McMahon.
The right-hander had allowed two singles in the third but got Estrada to hit into a double play.
Jeff McNeil blasted the Mets’ third solo homer of the game against Germán Márquez to widen the lead to 4-1. The homer was McNeil’s fourth of the season.
Mauricio’s fielding error at third base on Kyle Farmer’s grounder extended the sixth inning for Holmes, but the right-hander responded by getting Tyler Freeman to ground into a force out.
It was Holmes’ final pitch of the night.
Tyrone Taylor’s sacrifice fly after the Mets loaded the bases with one out extended the lead.
Taylor had entered the game as a defensive replacement for McNeil, who started in center field.
Luis Torrens’ two-run single with two outs buried the Rockies in a 7-1 hole.
Nimmo and Soto drew walks in the inning, and Pete Alonso also singled.
Nimmo swatted an RBI double in the eighth for the Mets’ final run.
José Buttó and José Castillo combined to pitch the final three innings scoreless, allowing manager Carlos Mendoza to keep his high-leverage arms (particularly Edwin Díaz, Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek) in the bullpen.
“We have been using them pretty hard,” Mendoza said before the game. “Especially a guy like Garrett, I feel like the last week he has been on and off, on and off. That’s not sustainable. We have got to be careful here.”
