Jensen slugs way to seven-RBI night

There's an adage in baseball that taking cuts in a Home Run Derby can potentially throw off a slugger's swing mechanics, but not for Kyle Jensen, who finished second in this year's Triple-A contest.

"After the Derby, I actually felt better," he said with a laugh. "Sometimes you take a couple days off and it throws you out of the loop a little bit, so it was nice to keep getting at-bats during the All-Star Break. It was nice to come back and feel comfortable in the box after only taking a couple days off."

The Arizona prospect belted a grand slam and a three-run homer -- his first long balls since the All-Star Break -- to plate a career-high seven runs as Triple-A Reno thumped visiting Colorado Springs, 10-1, on Monday night at Greater Nevada Field.

"I was seeing pitches well and getting deep into counts and I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball late in the count," Jensen said. "It was nice to get a couple [homers] out of the way, especially since this was our first game against Colorado Springs. It's nice to get off to a hot start in a good series."

In the first inning, Mitch Haniger and Arizona's No. 7 prospect Peter O'Brien singled before Jensen unloaded his first dinger to right-center field off Milwaukee's No. 4 prospect Josh Hader.

"It looked like [Hader] was going after guys with fastballs, and he had a good one," Jensen said. "He threw me a couple, and I got to a 3-2 count. He threw me a good pitch and I put the barrel on it."

Jensen walked in the third and flied out to right in the fourth.

Three consecutive walks to start the sixth set up Jensen for his second round-tripper and he mashed a grand slam to straight-away center to push Reno's lead to 10-1. He singled to left in the eighth to cap off his night at the dish.

"It's always good to hit the ball to all parts field, especially with power," Jensen said. "It's a good sign. It means you're comfortable in the box and you're seeing pitches and hitting the pitches where they're placed. That's all you can ask for as a hitter."

Jensen's seven-RBI night vaulted him into first in the Pacific Coast League with 83, and the two long balls moved him up to third on the circuit with 19, one behind teammate O'Brien and four behind El Paso's Hunter Renfroe.  

O'Brien went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

Arizona's top prospect Braden Shipley (8-5) gave up a run on seven hits and three walks over seven innings.

Kyle Wren ripped a solo homer to lead off the game for Colorado Springs.

Hader (0-3) gave up six runs -- five earned -- on six hits and four walks over 3 2/3 innings for the Sky Sox.