Rockies 2, Giants 1: Gonzenado Rocks, De La Rosa Rolls

On some nights it seems like Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez are the Rockies' entire offense. Last night they actually were. The team's only runs came on back-to-back swings in the first inning, when the dynamic duo launched consecutive solo home runs off Giants rookie Chris Heston.

A ball actually landed in the seats on three consecutive swings. CarGo hit a towering 3-1 pitch into the right field box, but it was determined to be ever-so-slightly foul. After a delay for a review that upheld the call, Heston delivered his full count pitch and Gonzalez obliterated it. The ball hit off the back wall of the bullpen and the National League home run leader extended his lead over his teammate by two with his 36th home run.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Carlos Gonzalez now has 26 HR in his last 51 games</p>&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/639967867002318848">September 5, 2015</a></blockquote>

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Not to be outdone, Nolan smacked the very first pitch he saw into the left field bleachers for his 35th of the season. CarGo couldn't stop smiling in the dugout.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some friendly competition?&#10;CarGo’s 36th HR: <a href="http://t.co/4rLC0P7dBC">http://t.co/4rLC0P7dBC</a> &#10;Arenado’s 35th: <a href="http://t.co/gVhhNrj1WC">http://t.co/gVhhNrj1WC</a> <a href="http://t.co/0nl2dEOxNy">pic.twitter.com/0nl2dEOxNy</a></p>&mdash; Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rockies/status/639970819771248640">September 5, 2015</a></blockquote>

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This is fun to watch. It's a totally unexpected development that will give many fans a reason to watch the final four weeks of this dismal season.

Home run chases between teammates are incredibly rare, and they're usually between Yankees. The obvious one is Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle from 1961, but Ruth and Gehrig actually tied for the major league lead with 46 home runs apiece in 1931. The last time two teammates actually finished 1-2 in their league was in 1995, and you'll never believe which team was responsible. Dante Bichette hit 40 in a 144 game schedule, and Larry Walker tied with Sammy Sosa for second place with 36. It's pretty good company for our two current heroes to be in, which brings me to my next point.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nolan Arenado has a HR in 5 straight games, tied for the longest streak in Rockies history (Larry Walker, Dante Bichette)</p>&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/639978567355510784">September 5, 2015</a></blockquote>

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Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez need a nickname. This power couple may only last for a few more weeks (though nothing is for certain), but they're currently burning hotter than the rage of a Giants fan in the process of seeing their season slip away in the stadium they hate the most.

In 1961, Maris and Mantle were nicknamed the M&M Boys. It was clever (in a sort of early 60s way), but in this day and age a couple name has to be some combination of two names. I personally like Gonzenado, because it almost sounds like a real name. Post your suggestions in the comments if you have any. We need something to remember this particular era of post-Tulo Rockies baseball by.

After Nolan rounded the bases and reached the dugout, Justin Morneau singled in his first at-bat since May 13, but he was stranded after DJ LeMahieu struck out. As it turned out, the Rockies would fail to push a single runner across the plate after the first inning, but last night it didn't matter.

Jorge De La Rosa followed Chris Rusin's complete game on Thursday by turning in a performance that was nearly as strong. He gave up six hits over his seven innings of work, and allowed just one run to cross the plate.

That run came in the sixth inning, when Angel Pagan singled in Juan Perez with one out. Things got dicier from there, as Jorge allowed another single, this time to Matt Duffy, to put the tying run in scoring position. He got a huge strikeout of Brandon Belt for the second out of the inning, but then he hit Buster Posey to load the bases for Marlon Byrd. After throwing three straight splitters (or change-ups, depending on who you listen to), Jorge reached back and struck Byrd out on a 93 mile-per-hour fastball to end the threat.

The Giants would get a runner on base in each of the last three innings, but double plays ended the seventh and ninth and they never seriously threatened. Jairo Diaz and Boone Logan combined to pitch the eighth and John Axford got the save.

Tonight the Rockies won a low-scoring game with their pitching, which must be almost as infuriating to Giants fans who complain about Coors Field as the fact that their team scored four total runs in the first two games of the series.

Even in a lost season, there is still joy. There's joy in watching great players do great things, and there's joy in throwing a wrench in the playoff hopes of the Giants. It was fun in 1993 and it's fun in 2015. If there's still Major League Baseball in a hundred years it'll be fun then too. Hopefully by that point we will have figured out a way to fill our roster with clones of Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado.