NEW YORK (AP) - James Paxton allowed a leadoff home run for the second straight outing when Charlie Blackmon shook out of a slump and started the Colorado Rockies to an 8-4 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday that halted a six-game losing streak.
On the second consecutive day with a 94-degree temperature at game time, DJ LaMahieu homered on the first pitch from German Márquez (9-5) in the bottom half. But Márquez rebounded from his worst big league start and cooled the Yankees' bats after that. Colorado took a 5-1 lead in the third, knocked out Paxton (5-5) in the fourth and ended New York's five-game winning streak.
Acquired from Seattle during the offseason, Paxton has failed to finish five innings seven times in 17 starts and has a 4.20 ERA, cause for concern that might lead the Yankees to seek more starting pitching ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Blackmon went 4 for 5, Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking, two-run double and David Dahl added a two-run single in the third, when three runs were unearned because first baseman Luke Voit allowed Tony Wolters' sacrifice bunt to bounce off his glove for an error.
After Blackmon's single chased Paxton in the fourth, Trevor Story greeted Chad Green with a two-run double.
Colorado had lost 13 of its 15 previous games and made a flurry of roster moves Sunday morning. Veteran infielder Mark Reynolds was designated for assignment two home runs shy of 300 after hitting .170 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 135 at-bats. Right-hander Jeff Hoffman and lefty Sam Howard were brought up from Triple-A and Antonio Senzatela demoted, after allowing six runs in 1 1/3 innings on Saturday.
Márquez allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings, improving to 7-0 with a 2.98 ERA in 14 interleague starts. After giving up 11 runs over 2 2/3 innings in a 19-2 loss to San Francisco on July 15, he lowered his ERA to 4.99, still the highest among qualified NL pitchers.
Blackmon had been 1 for 9 with four strikeouts in the first two games of the series before hitting the third leadoff homer against Paxton this season, after Baltimore's Jonathan Villar on April 4 and Tampa Bay's Travis d'Arnaud last Monday. Paxton has a 10.06 ERA in the first inning, allowing eight home runs, and has given up runs in the first inning in seven of his last nine starts.
He was chased after 3 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs - four earned - five hits and three walks. He is winless in five starts since June 21.
New York leads the AL East by nine games after a 7-3 homestand.
New York had not allowed and then hit a leadoff homer in the same game since Aug. 17, 2006, when Baltimore's Brian Roberts went deep against Jaret Wright, and Johnny Damon connected off Rodrigo López.
Mike Tauchman homered in the fifth for the Yankees, and Aaron Hicks hit a two-run drive in the eighth off Scott Oberg.
Paxton stumbles again, Rockies beat Yanks 8-4 to stop slide
Acquired from Seattle during the offseason, Paxton has failed to finish five innings seven times in 17 starts and has a 4.20 ERA
