Red-hot Dahl crushes grand slam for 'Topes

Glenallen Hill is a veteran of 13 Major League seasons as a player, and he began coaching in pro ball 13 years ago. Suffice it to say, he's seen a lot on the diamond.

But has he ever seen a player break into a new level the way David Dahl has broken into Triple-A?

"No, I have not," Hill said. "It's nice to see it happen to a guy who's very talented. I believe there are so many things we can achieve in this game if we get out of the way of ourselves, and that's what David Dahl is doing right now."

The Rockies' No. 2 prospect belted a grand slam -- his third homer in two nights and fifth in eight games in the Pacific Coast League -- while going 3-for-4 with a walk on Friday as Albuquerque topped visiting Memphis, 10-5.

Dahl hit .278/.367/.500 with 13 homers and 21 doubles in 76 games in the Double-A Eastern League, and he debuted in the PCL with a long ball in a three-hit game on July 4 and hasn't looked back. He's batting .543 (19-for-35) with nine extra-base hits, 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored.

"I think every player wants to start any league he's been challenged to play in the way that David Dahl has responded to being challenged to play in this league," Hill said. "He's handling himself well. He's staying humble, he's staying focused. Those are things that are important to me and I know those are things that are important to him -- staying humble and focused."

The 22-year-old outfielder and MLB.com's No. 40 overall prospect pounced on a 2-0 count with the bases loaded to victimize Redbirds starter Jerome Williams and cap a five-run fourth inning. But his manager said seeing the left-handed hitter slug the ball over the wall in left-center didn't catch him off-guard.

"I'm not surprised by anything David Dahl is doing," Hill said. "It's very hard for me to get surprised by performances of players at this level. I believe they all have the capabilities to perform at this level, and it's part of my job to help them understand that."

Dahl also lined a pair of singles -- up the middle in the third and to right field in the eighth.

"He is hitting the ball extremely hard. He's not trying to hit home runs -- his bat head is finding the baseball often," Hill said. "When you have that kind of bat speed and hand-eye coordination and you keep it simple, good things are going to happen."

Tom Murphy, Colorado's No. 9 prospect who hit for the cycle on Thursday, went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. He's batting .294 through 46 PCL games but has matched Dahl for the league lead since July 4 with 39 total bases and is 19-for-35 over that eight-game stretch. 

"I just think he's gotten reconnected with who he is as a hitter," Hill said. "Sometimes hitters think they're working on the right things, and sometimes they are and sometimes they're not. For Murph, he's been able to get in touch with what he's capable of doing."

Albuquerque starter Eddie Butler (4-0) allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks while fanning one over six innings for the win.

Williams (4-3) surrendered seven runs on 10 hits and a walk with one strikeout in five frames.