ST. LOUIS (AP) — Hunter Goodman has Kyle Farmer to thank for the two long homers the Colorado slugger hit on back-to-back days at St. Louis.

Goodman borrowed Farmer's bat for the 432-foot homer he hit on Wednesday to give the Rockies a 6-5 win over the Cardinals. The All-Star catcher also used Farmer's lumber a night earlier when he sent a ball 436 feet in Colorado’s 3-0 victory.

Farmer said Goodman can keep it.

“It’s a gift,” Farmer said. “I turn 35 in five days so I just keep on giving, I guess. He’s got some serious juice. He’s a really good hitter, a smart hitter.”

Goodman leads the Rockies with 24 homers. On Wednesday, he entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning and sent a 3-2 sinker from JoJo Romero into the grass beyond the center field fence.

“I was just looking for something up in the zone,” Goodman said. “He left a sinker up the middle. I know what he’s trying to do.”

It was the first pinch homer for the 25-year-old Goodman, who has gone deep five times in the last 10 games.

Goodman broke a scoreless tie on Tuesday with a two-run blast off Matthew Liberatore in the fourth inning. That one landed on the on the concourse beyond the left-field lower-deck seats.

“A shout-out to Farmer for the bat,” Goodman said. “I couldn’t have done it without his bat. I’ve used his bat now the last two days. I have to give him some of the credit."

Why the switch?

“It’s a long season. His bat is a little shorter than my bat so I figured I might as well try something else right now,” Goodman said. “As the season goes on, it’s now August and the dog days. You get a little tired. Sometimes adjustments like that can help.”

It helped for Goodman and the major league-worst Rockies, who had lost eight straight before the two wins over the Cardinals.

“In these past two games, he’s shown that no moment is too big for him,” Farmer said. “He’s got a slow heartbeat, and he comes up big in big moments. He’s got a bright future.”

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer agreed.

“He’s an All-Star for a reason,” Schaeffer said. “He loves those situations. He wants to hit in big-time spots. That’s just who he is. He’s really coming into his own this season.”

Lionel Taylor, record-setting Broncos receiver and coaching pioneer, dies at 89

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Lionel Taylor, who starred for the Denver Broncos in the 1960s and became the first wide receiver in pro football history to record a 100-catch season, has died. He was 89.

His grandson, also named Lionel Taylor, told the team that Taylor died at his home near Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 6.

The Broncos plan to honor Taylor during their preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night.

Taylor was the first player in either the AFL or NFL to record 100 catches in a season and he's also believed to have been the first Black coordinator in NFL history. He served as the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator from 1980-81.

Taylor wasn't drafted in 1958 after starring in both basketball and football at New Mexico Highlands. After playing semipro football for a year, he joined the Chicago Bears as a linebacker in 1959 before becoming a member of the Broncos' inaugural team in 1960.

He led the new American Football League in receiving in five of the league's first six seasons, including in 1961, when he had 100 catches for 1,176 yards. He spent seven seasons in Denver, becoming the franchise's career receiving leader with 543 catches for 6,872 yards and 44 touchdowns. He finished his career by playing two seasons for the Houston Oilers in 1967-68.

Taylor, who was among the first players inducted into the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 1984, had an extensive coaching career after retiring as a player. He won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s during his seven-year stint as the team's wide receivers coach.

He also served as receivers coach for the Rams from 1977-79 and as their offensive coordinator from 1980-81. According to NFL Films, he was the first Black coordinator in the league.

Taylor also served as receivers coach at Oregon State from 1982-83 and as Texas Southern's head coach from 1984-88. He later worked as the Cleveland Browns' tight ends coach and as head coach of NFL Europe's London/England Monarchs.