The Rockies minor league affiliates continued to be hammered with injuries, as yet another relief pitcher would suffer injury on Thursday. AAA Albuquerque RP Scott Oberg suffered an abdominal strain injury during relief action. Oberg has been ruled to be day to day and will avoid the DL, instead getting a couple days of rest on the bench.
Despite nearly constant pitchers duels, the Rockies would come back from getting swept by the Dodgers a week ago, and punch the blue and white right in the mouth, taking three of four games against the Dodgers for the series win.
The first game would get off to a bit of a shaky start as starter Eddie Butler would give up a two out solo home run to Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the first inning. Amazingly, Butler’s confidence wouldn’t be shaken and that would be virtually all the Dodgers would get the rest of the game, managing just a third inning leadoff double by Jimmy Rollins and a sixth inning single by Puig the rest of the way. The Rockies on the other hand would come alive in the third inning, as pitcher Eddie Butler would shock the stadium, hitting a fastball at the knees and sending it just 6 feet beyond the left field wall for a home run, making Butler the first Rockies pitcher since Jordan Lyles on April 30, 2014 to hit a home run. That wouldn’t be all however as D.J. LeMahieu would get a two out double to bring up Troy Tulowitzki, who would clear the bases with a two run home run to left field for a 3-1 lead. Fast forward to the eighth inning where Wilin Rosario and Michael McKenry have reached base with back to back singles to open the inning, bringing up Nolan Arenado who would single to center and drive in Rosario for a 4-1 margin. The Rockies would then get more than an insurance run or two in the ninth inning, as Corey Dickerson smacked a one out solo home run to straight away center. Nick Hundley would get on base with a two out single, followed by a single by Rosario. That would bring up Drew Stubbs, pinch hitting for Adam Ottavino, and Stubbs would make the most of it with a three bomb also to straight away center, giving the Rockies an 8-1 victory.
Player of the game was starting pitcher Eddie Butler to improve to 2-3, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 8.37 ERA. Adam Ottavino got credit for his fourth hold with a perfect eighth inning, John Axford pitched a perfect ninth but didn’t get the save opportunity as the Rockies batters blew the score out of save range in the top of the ninth. Losing pitcher was Brett Anderson to drop to 1-4, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.72 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, going 2-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Yasiel Puig, going 2-4 with a single, a home run, one run scored and one RBI.
The second game would see a pitcher’s battle for the first five innings, as neither team had much, if any success, until the bottom of the fifth inning when Jimmy Rollins led off with a triple, followed by an RBI groundout by Ellis to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers would add to their lead in the sixth inning as Howie Kendrick walked and Puig grounded to right for a single to put runners at the corners. Adrian Gonzalez would groundout to third base to score Kendrick. After a fly out, Andre Ethier would smack a base hit into centerfield, driving in Puig and reaching third base on a fielding error by Drew Stubbs. Ethier would come in to score when Rollins would line a single to left field to put the Dodgers up 4-0. The Rockies would find life in the eighth inning as Michael McKenry led off with a triple, followed by a one out single to right by Justin Morneau to score McKenry. Wilin Rosario would come up as a pinch hitter, lining a single into right field to put runners on the corners and to chase starter Clayton Kershaw from the game. Arenado would come up next, doubling to left field to score both Morneau and Rosario. The Rockies would manage to tie the game and pull off the improbable comeback as Arenado would attempt to steal third base, a throwing error by the catcher sending the ball into left field and allowing Arenado to trot home for the game tying run. The game looked destined for extra innings as a strikeout, a single and a fielder’s choice would leave two outs and Joc Pederson standing on first base. Instead of the game would end as Justin Turner smacked a double into center field, scoring Pederson all the way from first and giving the Dodgers a 5-4 victory.
Player of the game was Jimmy Rollins, going 2-4 with a single, a triple, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Justin Morneau going 2-3 with two singles, a run scored and one RBI. Another top hitter was Nolan Arenado, going 1-4 with a double, one run scored and two RBI. Winning pitcher was J.P. Howell to improve to 2-2, going 1.0 innings pitched with a perfect ninth inning. C. Hatcher was dinged with his second blown save for the eighth inning collapse. Starter Clayton Kershaw went 7.1 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 10 strikeouts for a 2.43 ERA. Losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 1-2, going 1.2 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 1.53 ERA. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 5.2 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts for a 3.91 ERA.
The third game of the series would see a tight battle from start to end that wouldn’t be decided for sure until the final out of the game. The Rockies would get on board first right off the bat in the first inning, as D.J. LeMahieu hit a one out single to center, bringing up Troy Tulowitzki would who blast a two run home run to center to take a 2-0 lead. Colorado would add another run to their lead in the fourth inning as Michael McKenry hit a one out solo home run to left field. Then in the fifth inning, LeMahieu would get on base with a one out single to left, before a two out Drew Stubbs triple would bring LeMahieu across the plate for a 4-0 lead. The Dodgers would get one run back in the bottom of the fifth, as Carl Crawford reached based on a fielding error by Nolan Arenado, eventually coming around to score on a one out ground out by Ellis for the 4-1 margin of victory.
Player of the game was Troy Tulowitzki, going 1-4 with a two run home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Carl Crawford, going 1-4 with a single and one run scored. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to improve to 5-1, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, no earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts for a 3.04 ERA. Rex Brothers (2nd) and Tommy Kahnle (6th) both got credit for a hold and John Axford picked up his sixth save, combining for 2.2 one-hit innings of work. Losing pitcher was Zack Greinke to drop to 2-4, going just 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 4.74 ERA.
The fourth game of the series would see runs come at a premium, while both teams squandered opportunities on the base paths. Both teams would get leadoff hits in the first inning, but could do nothing to bring the runners across. The third inning saw the Dodgers with an opportunity to score as back to back walks left two runners on with one out, but a fielder’s choice and a pop out would end that threat. Back to back singles in the fourth inning would give the Dodgers runners on the corners, but again would fail to drive them in. The Rockies would finally break the tie in the fifth inning as Corey Dickerson led off with a triple, followed by Nick Hundley hitting a sac fly to centerfield to score Dickerson for a 1-0 lead. The Rockies would add another run in the seventh inning as Carlos Gonzalez hit a solo home run to center to increase the lead to 2-0. The last best chance for the Dodgers to reach home plate came in the eighth inning as a single by Justin Turner and a drawn walk by Adrian Gonzalez put runners on first and second with two outs, but a strikeout by Scott Van Slyke would end the threat and the Dodgers chances and hopes.
Player of the game was winning pitcher Kyle Kendrick, who improved to 5-1, going 7.1 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts for a 1.14 ERA. Adam Ottavino got his fifth hold in 0.2 innings of work, and John Axford picked up his eighth save with a hitless ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Hyun-Jin Ryu to drop to 3-1, going 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.57 ERA. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez, going 1-4 with a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Dodgers was Justin Turner, going 2-4 with two singles.
Colorado – 8-12-0
LA Dodgers – 1-3-0
Colorado - 4-9-1
LA Dodgers - 5-8-1
Colorado – 4-13-2
LA Dodgers - 1-4-0
Colorado – 2-6-0
LA Dodgers – 0-5-0
With the surprising series victory over the Dodgers, the Rockies got back away from the .500, pushing their record to 20-17 on the season and pulling back within 1.5 games of the first place Dodgers. The Rockies would have a good chance of catching back up with the Dodgers as they return home on Monday to open up a four game series against the floundering Philadelphia Phillies.
Philadelphia Phillies (16-23) vs Colorado Rockies (20-17)
May 18-21, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado
Probable Starters:
Game One - Monday 6:40 PM
Aaron Harang (0-6, 6.90 ERA) vs David Hale (1-3, 4.91 ERA)
Game Two - Tuesday 6:40 PM
Cole Hamels (3-3, 2.15 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (2-3, 8.37 ERA)
Game Three - Wednesday 6:40 PM
Jerome Williams (0-0, 5.06 ERA) vs Jordan Lyles (2-2, 3.91 ERA)
Game Four - Thursday 1:10 PM
Chad Billingsley (3-2, 3.50 ERA) vs Tyler Chatwood (5-1, 3.04 ERA)
After taking three of four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies now return home to face the struggling Philadelphia Philles for a four game series. This will be a seven game home stand as the San Francisco Giants will then come to town for a three game series kicking off on Friday.
Bad news would break before the start of Monday's game with Philadelphia, as Wilin Rosario, who was scheduled to start that night at first base, suffered bruised ribs during the pregame. Rosario would be diagnosed as day to day, so he would avoid the DL, but it would leave the Rockies down a valuable position player for the upcoming week.
The Rockies minor league clubs would continue to be hit with injures, as AA New Britain third baseman Tyler Nevin was forced to leave Wednesday's game with a strained finger, leaving him day to day on the bench.
Meanwhile, AA New Britain right fielder Michael Tauchman would suffer an MCL sprain in the same game, leaving him sidelined for 2-3 weeks and a visit to the 15 day disabled list.
Earlier in the week, AA New Britain relief pitcher Jose Ortega suffered a fractured hand, leaving him out for 1-2 months and placed on the 15 day disabled list, the organizational depth at relief pitcher continuing to be stretched to the ever fracturing limits due to injuries.
This series would see everything, from a blowout and a shut out, to 1-0 final score and a walk off home run. Regardless of the circumstances and the drama, the Rockies would find a way to get it done as they would get the clean four game sweep of the Philadelphia Philles, one of the worst teams in baseball.
The first game of the series would show why Phillies starter Aaron Harang was 0-6 going into the game. The Rockies laid the runs on early as the game turned into a rout by just the second inning. After Nolan Arenado flied out to start the bottom of the first inning, Daniel Descalso smacked a double to left field, followed by a double to center by Troy Tulowitzki to score Descalso. Carlos Gonzalez would then hit a single into center to bring Tulowitzki around to score. Corey Dickerson lined a double to left field to put runners on second and third, bringing up Michael McKenry, who would hit a single to center to score both Dickerson and Gonzalez. A Charlie Blackmon single to left would put runners on first and second, and after a fly out by Justin Morneau, pitcher David Hale would contribute to his own defense, lining a single to left field to score McKenry from second to give the Rockies a 5-0 lead after the first inning.
The game would reach blowout status in the second inning when Descalso lined a one out single to right field, followed by a ground rule double by Tulowitzki to center. That would bring up Gonzalez, who would jack a three run home run to right field, putting the Rockies up 8-0 to end Aaron Harang’s day on the mound after just 1.1 innings of work. The Rockies would tag on two more runs in the fifth inning as McKenry smacked a one out double to center, followd by a two out double by Morneau to bring McKenry in to score from second. Hale would then again contribute at the plate, hitting a double to right field to bring Morneau across home plate for a 10-0 lead. The Phillies were almost silent at the plate, managing nothing but a single in the first and third innings, until the ninth inning, with Boone Logan pitching, when a one out home run to left field by Maikel Franco killed the two-hit shutout.
Player of the game was Carlos Gonzalez, going 2-4 with a single and home run, scoring two runs and driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Daniel Descalso, going 4-5 with three singles, a double and one run scored. Another top hitter was Troy Tulowitzki, going 3-4 with a single and two doubles, scoring two runs and driving in one RBI. Yet another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 2-3 with a single, a double, two runs scored and two RBI. And finally, a top hitter was pitcher David Hale, who had a career day going 2-3 with a single and his first double of the season while driving in two RBI to help himself on the mound. Top hitter for the Phillies was Maikel Franco, going 1-4 with a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was David Hale to improve to 2-3, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, no runs, 2 walks and 10 strikeouts for a 4.18 ERA. Brooks Brown and Christian Friedrich combined for a hitless eighth inning while Boone Logan gave up one hit, one run and one earned run in an otherwise uneventful ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Aaron Harang to fall to 0-7, going just 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 8 runs, 8 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 8.90 ERA.
The second game would see runs come at an extreme premium and a no-hitter carried into the sixth inning almost turn into defeat. The Rockies would make it on the scoreboard first in the second inning as Corey Dickerson led things off with a solo home run, giving the Rockies an early 1-0 lead. They would add one more in the bottom of the fifth inning as Drew Stubbs opened with a single to center, followed by a line drive single to right by D.J. LeMahieu and a deflected single by Troy Tulowitzki to load the bases with no outs. A ground ball by Daniel Descalso would turn into a fielder’s choice, Tulowitzki called out at second but Descalso making it to first base safely, all the while Stubbs coming home to score from third for a 2-0 lead. Despite still having a scoring threat with only one out, a double play by Dickerson would end the inning. All this time, starter Eddie Butler was throwing a no hitter as the Phillies could not get on base to save their lives. The only thing keeping it from being a perfect game was a leadoff walk back in the third inning and a one out walk in the fifth. That would all change in the sixth inning as Cameron Rupp would come up to bat first, taking a 2-1 fastball and launching it into left field for a solo home run, making the score 2-1.
Another two hitless innings by the Phillies would bring up the bottom of the eighth inning. Michael McKenry would smack a one out double into right, followed by a single to center by Charlie Blackmon to put runners at the corners. That would bring up Wilin Rosario who would hit a single up the middle into centerfield, scoring McKenry and giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead. That lead would disappear in the ninth inning as John Axford came on for the save. Odubel Herrera would start things off with a successful bunt down the third base line to reach first safely. After a groundout that would advance Herrera to second, Maikel Franco would reach base on a fielder’s choice, putting runners at the corners with only one out. That would bring up Domonic Brown, who would smack a double off the wall in centerfield to score Herrera, followed by a sacrifice bunt down the first base line by Ryan Howard, scoring Franco to tie the game at 3-3. Extra innings seemed all but a given as a line out by LeMahieu and a ground out by Tulowitzki left two outs in the inning. But, everything would change on the last strike, as Daniel Descalso would swing at a 1-2 slider, carrying it deep into right field and into the stands for a walk off home run, giving the Rockies the 4-3 victory.
Despite numerous players having more hits and better days, the player of the game was Daniel Descalso, who would finish 1-5 with the walk off solo home run, scoring one run and driving in two RBI, thanks to his home run and his RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth inning. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, who went 2-4 with a single and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Another top hitter was Michael McKenry, going 3-4 with two singles and a double while scoring one run. Top hitter for the Phillies was Cameron Rupp, going 1-2 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI to ruin Butler’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning. Winning pitcher was John Axford to improve to 1-1, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 5.94 ERA. Rex Brothers got his third hold of the year with two innings of no-hit work. Starting pitcher Eddie Butler went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts for a 7.32 ERA. Losing pitcher was Luis Garcia to fall to 1-1, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 5.11 ERA. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.24 ERA.
The third game of the series would be a true pitcher’s duel, as the only run of the game would come in the third inning, when Drew Stubbs led off with a triple to right field, followed by a Justin Morneau sacrifice fly to score Stubbs in what would be the game-winning run. The best chance the Phillies would have of scoring came in the second inning when a walk and a two out single left runners at first and second, but a ground out would end the threat. Hits also largely came at a premium, as both teams only had one hit to claim until the Rockies added a second with a fifth inning single. They would then put up 5 more hits between the sixth and eighth innings. The Phillies on the other hand, wouldn’t even have so much as a base runner since that single in the second inning, going 21 straight Phillies batters retired without anyone reaching base in any way or means. The Phillies bullpen however was a star this game, as starting pitcher Jerome Williams was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning suffering from elbow soreness. The bullpen would go the final 5 innings, giving up just 6 hits and not letting a Rockies base runner get past second base.
Player of the game was Justin Morneau, going 1-2 with a single and one RBI driven in. Another top hitter was Drew Stubbs, going 1-3 with a triple and one run scored. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, who went 2-3 with two singles. Top hitter for the Phillies was Carlos Ruiz, getting the Phillies their only base hit of the game with a second inning single. Winning pitcher was Jordan Lyles to improve to 3-2, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, no runs, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts for a 3.48 ERA. Tommy Kahnle (7th) and Adam Ottavino (6th) each picked up a hold, while John Axford got his ninth save of the year with a perfect ninth inning. Losing pitcher was Jerome Williams to drop to 0-1, going just 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 4.61 ERA.
The fourth game of the series would see the Rockies jump out to a quick lead as Nolan Arenado led off the bottom of the first with a single to left, followed by a two run home run by Daniel Descalso, his third of the year, for a 2-0 lead. The Rockies would add another run in the fourth inning as Drew Stubbs and Michael McKenry both reached base with one out singles, bringing up Charlie Blackmon who would hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Stubbs from second to go up 3-0. Colorado would tack on one more run in the seventh inning as McKenry led off the inning with a solo home run that just inched over the right field wall and into the Rockies bullpen to take a 4-0 lead. The Phillies wouldn’t go quietly, putting two runners on base in the eighth inning before Adam Ottavino was able to pitch his way out of the inning. Then in the ninth inning, Ben Revere would lead off with a solo home run to cut the score to 4-1. Maikel Franco would follow with a double to right, and Domonic Brown would single into center. Franco would try to score from second on the single, but Charlie Blackmon was able to get an accurate throw in from center and McKenry was waiting at the plate for Franco to tag him for the first out, with a pop out and a ground out securing the Rockies victory and the four game series sweep.
Player of the game was Daniel Descalso, going 2-4 with a ground rule double, a two run home run, one run scored and two RBI. Another top hitter for the Rockies was Michael McKenry, going 2-3 with a single and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Phillies was Ben Revere, going 1-4 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Tyler Chatwood to improve to 6-1, going 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 2.65 ERA. Losing pitcher was Chad Billingsley to drop to 3-3, going 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.68 ERA.
Philadelphia – 1-3-0
Colorado – 10-17-1
Philadelphia - 3-3-0
Colorado - 4-15-0
Philadelphia – 0-1-0
Colorado - 1-7-1
Philadelphia – 1-8-0
Colorado – 4-10-1
And so the Rockies would pull out the four game sweep against one of the worst teams in baseball, as the Phillies are just one game better than the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks for the worst record in all of baseball. With the sweep, Colorado is now riding a 6 game winning streak and has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. Combine that with the Dodgers going 3-7 over their last 10 games, losing four in a row before getting a victory over the Giants on Thursday evening, and the Rockies have now recaptured first place in the NL West by a full game over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now the Rockies shift focus back to division play as they wrap up their seven game stretch at home with a three game visit from the San Francisco Giants over the weekend. After that, the Rockies get six more chances to pad the win column next week as they open a six game road trip in the Midwest and east coast with a three game series at Cincinnati (tied for the worst record in baseball) and a three game series at Philadelphia (one game better from being tied for the worst record in baseball).
San Francisco Giants (19-23) vs Colorado Rockies (24-17)
May 22-24, 2015
Coors Field - Denver, Colorado
Probable Starters:
Game One - Friday 6:10 PM
Tim Hudson (3-2, 3.80 ERA) vs Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 1.14 ERA)
Game Two - Saturday 2:10 PM
Tim Lincecum (1-2, 2.76 ERA) vs David Hale (2-3, 4.18 ERA)
Game Three - Sunday 2:10 PM
Tommy Hanson (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs Eddie Butler (2-3, 7.32 ERA)
After sweeping the Phillies in a four game series, the Rockies look to defend first place in the NL West as they host the San Francisco Giants for a three game weekend series. The last time these two teams played, the Giants took two out of three games at Coors Field during a weekend series April 24-26. So far for the season, including a three game Rockies sweep at AT&T Park April 13-15, the Rockies at 4-2 against the Giants, with five of those games coming with a margin of victory of just one or two runs, an 8-3 Giants victory on April 26th the only game to end with a more than two run difference.
There was good news as last in the organization as AAA Albuquerque starting pitcher Jon Gray, placed on the 15-day DL back on May 2nd while suffering from shoulder inflammation, had finally recovered from his injury and had been removed from the disabled list. Gray would rejoin the AAA starting rotation as the #2 pitcher behind Tyler Matzek, while Boone Whiting (3-2, 3.21 ERA) would be sent back down to AA New Britain to make space for Gray.
This series would see late inning dramatics, a pair of 10th inning walk off home runs, and a marathon for the all time MLB history books, as both bullpens would be stretched to their utter limits in a series that would see all three games go extra innings, and then some...
The first game of the series would see drama galore. It started off well for the Rockies, as Drew Stubbs started the second inning with a single, followed by a one out single by Nick Hundley to leave runners at first and second. Charlie Blackmon would come up next and smack a ground rule double into the Colorado bullpen, scoring Stubbs and leaving runners at second and third. Hundley would cross the plate on the next at-bat during a RBI ground out by Justin Morneau. Then pitcher Kyle Kendrick would help himself with a single up the middle into center, scoring Blackmon for a 3-0 lead. The Giants would immediately start cutting into that lead in the third inning as Joaquin Arias lined a single to left and stole second, followed by a single to right by Matt Duffy to put runners at the corners. Instead of a double play two batters later, Nori Aoki would hit into a fielder’s choice that would see Duffy thrown out at second while Aoki would leg out the throw to first to get on base, all the while Arias coming home to score to make the score 3-1. In the fifth inning, Duffy would reach first base on a fielding error by Daniel Descaloso, advancing to second on a wild pitch and reaching third on a ground out. That would bring back Aoki, who would ground to center for an RBI single, scoring Duffy to make it 3-2. That score would hold until the eighth inning, when back to back ground rule doubles by Angel Pagan (into the left field stands) and Buster Posey (into the Colorado bullpen) would tie the game at 3-3. The Rockies had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth as Stubbs would hit a one out triple to center, but they would be unable to drive Stubbs in, sending the game into extra innings. After sending the Giants down in order in the tenth, it would take one swing of the bat to end the game in the bottom of the inning as Charlie Blackmon would lead off the Rockies with a walk off solo home run to right field for the 4-3 victory.
Player of the game was Charlie Blackmon, going 2-4 with a double and a walk off solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Another top hitter was Drew Stubbs going 2-4 with a single, a triple and one run scored. Top hitter for the Giants was Nori Aoki, going 1-5 with a single and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Adam Ottavino to improve to 2-2, going 2.0 innings pitched, giving up no hits, no runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 1.21 ERA. Brooks Brown was tagged with his first blown save, pitching 2.0 innings, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 3.38 ERA. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 1.18 ERA. Losing pitcher was Santiago Casilla to drop to 0-2, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run and 1 earned run on a single pitch. Starting pitcher Tim Hudson went 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 3.96 ERA.
The second game would become the game that never ends, as essentially three full games would be played that day. The Rockies would get onto the scoreboard first with a second inning solo home run by Corey Dickerson. The Giants would follow that up in the fourth inning with back to back triples by Matt Duffy and Juan Perez, tying the game at 1-1. Little did the fans and players know that it would take TWENTY THREE innings before the next run would be scored and the game could mercifully end. The Rockies had a chance to take a lead in the eighth inning as a Carlos Gonzalez single, a double by Dickerson and an intentional walk to Michael McKenry left the bases loaded, only for Charlie Blackmon to ground out to end the inning. The Rockies would again get a chance to end it in the eleventh as Dickerson reached base with a single, followed by a sac bunt and a sac fly to move Dickerson to third, followed by an intentional walk to Justin Morneau, only for pinch hitter Nick Hundley to strikeout to end the threat. The Giants got close in the twelfth inning as Duffy reached on a leadoff single, making it over to third base on a pair of ground outs, before a strikeout by Joaquin Arias would leave him stranded. The Rockies would load the bases in the thirteenth inning on back to back singles by Gonzalez and Dickerson, followed by a two out single by Morneau, but Rafael Betancourt would end up striking out to kill the game winning chance. Come the fifteenth inning, the Rockies would load the bases once more as Dickerson got on base with a one out single and advanced to second on a ground out by McKenry. Blackmon would reach base on a single, followed by an intentional walk to Morneau to load the bases, but Betancourt would once again strikeout and leave three runners stranded. The nineteenth inning would see the Rockies get runners on first and second following two out singles by Troy Tulowitzki and Dickerson, but Blackmon would strikeout to end another game winning chance.
In the twentieth inning, Duffy would reach base with a one out infield single, moving over to second base courtesy of a sacrifice bunt by Santiago Casilla, followed by a 7 pitch walk to Nori Aoki to put runners on first and second, but the Rockies would escape the inning when Arias lined out to first base. With their bullpen depleted, the Giants were forced to bring Madison Bumgarner out to pitch in the bottom of the twentieth inning, just 3 days after starting and going 6.2 innings in a 4-1 win over the LA Dodgers. Despite giving up a two out walk, Bumgarner would earn three strikeouts to get through the inning unscathed. Adam Ottavino would come on to pitch in the twenty-first inning, immediately giving up a leadoff double to Buster Posey. The Rockies got a HUGE break as Brandon Belt snuck a ground ball past Justin Morneau at first base for a single. Posey came around trying score from second, but a perfect throw from Dickerson in right field would leave Posey a sitting duck for catcher Michael McKenry to tag him out. A groundout by Hunter Pence and a walk to Brandon Crawford would leave runners at first and second with two outs for Perez. The runners would advance to second and third on a passed ball, but Ottavino would get Perez to strikeout to end the threat. Tulowitzki would lead off the bottom of the twenty-first inning with a single, but Bumgarner would get three straight strikeouts to extend the game even longer. The Giants nearly had a chance to win it in the twenty-third inning as Buster Posey roped a line drive down the first base line off of John Axford and into the right field corner, but Dickerson was able to come up with the ball and throw it in as Posey was just coming up to second base and rounding to take off for third, allowing the cut-off man to hurl the ball to third base, getting there just ahead of a sliding Posey to tag him out for the second out of the inning, followed by a strikeout by Belt to end the Giants’ at-bat.
In the twenty-fourth inning, Crawford would reach base on a one out single, followed by a two out walk to Duffy, before Axford would get Bumgarner to strikeout to end the threat. After going down in order, the Rockies would be forced to call on the services of Jordan Lyles in the twenty-fifth inning, the Rockies bullpen now fully officially exhausted. Lyles would set the Giants down in order, and then the Rockies themselves would be set down in order by Bumgarner. In the twenty-sixth inning, Belt would reach base with a leadoff single, but a strikeout and an inning-ending double play would squander their chance. The Rockies would try to get something going with a two out single by Dickerson, but McKenry would ground out to send the game to the twenty-seventh inning, making this officially the longest game ever in the entirety of Major League Baseball history. And the twenty-seventh inning is where it would end as Perez would lead off for the Giants with a triple, followed by a one out RBI sacrifice bunt by Bumgarner to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. A fly out by Blackmon, a ground out by Morneau and a strikeout by Lyles, and the Rockies would end up on the losing end of the longest game in MLB history, breaking their 7 game winning streak.
In quite the oddity, the player of the game and winning pitcher, in a game he didn’t even enter until the twentieth inning, was Madison Bumgarner to improve to 3-2 on the year, going 8.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, no runs, 1 walk and 12 strikeouts for a 2.35 ERA. Starting pitcher Tim Lincecum went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 2.62 ERA. Losing pitcher, also in a game he wouldn’t enter until the twenty-fifth inning, Jordan Lyles would drop to 3-3, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts for a 3.45 ERA. With that, starting pitchers, who did not start the game and didn’t even enter until the twentieth and twenty-fifth innings, would end up the winning and losing pitchers. Luckily for the Rockies, Lyles would only throw 34 pitches during his time on the mound, lending hope of him still making his next start. Bumgarner was ridden like a mule in the game, throwing 87 pitches in the win, all but certainly costing him his next start due to needed days off for rest.
Top hitter of the game for the Giants was Juan Perez, going 2-11 with two triples and two runs scored. Top hitter for the Rockies was Corey Dickerson, who went an ungodly 8-12 with 6 singles, a double, a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI.
This game would break the record for the longest game in Major League Baseball history set back in 1920 when the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves ended in a 1-1 tie in 26 innings. It also, obviously, broke the record for the longest game to end with a winning team in Major League Baseball history set back in 1984 when the Chicago White Sox defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. The Rockies and Giants would also obliterate the record for most combined strikeouts in a Major League baseball game. The old record was back in 1971 when the Oakland Athletics and California Angels combined for 43 strikeouts in a 20-inning game. The Rockies and Giants would decimate that record with a combined 62 strikeouts as both teams would end with 31 strikeouts a piece. Strikeouts by pitcher for the Rockies was David Hale (3), Christian Friedrich (1), Boone Logan (4), Tommy Kahnle (4), Rafael Betancourt (6), Brooks Brown (1), Rex Brothers (3), Adam Ottavino (3), John Axford (3) and Jordan Lyles (3). Strikeouts by pitcher for the Giants was Tim Lincecum (4), Jean Machi (2), J.C. Gutierrez (2), Sergio Romo (3), George Kontos and Javier Lopez (both 0), Santiago Casilla (8) and Madison Bumgarner (12). Rockies pitchers would walk 7 Giants batters, Giants pitchers would walk 5 Rockies batters. This game started at 2:10 PM. The final out in the bottom of the twenty-seventh inning would not be recorded until 8:53 PM, the official game time lasting 6 hours and 43 minutes. Somehow, both teams would have to find a way to turn around and play a new game just 17 hours later.
The third game of the series would see which team could recover the fastest in just 17 hours. The Rockies would need one hell of a performance from starter Eddie Butler as nearly the entire bullpen was almost unusable today. The only worthwhile pitchers in the bullpen were Christian Friedrich and Boone Logan, all the others useless beyond maybe one inning maximum, if that. This time, the winner would need more than two runs, as the Rockies would break out first in the bottom of the first inning. D.J. LeMahieu would reach base with a one out single, followed by a two out single to left by Carlos Gonzalez. That would bring up Corey Dickerson, who would launch a three run home run to right field, giving the Rockies an early 3-0 lead. The Rockies would add two more runs in the third inning as LeMahieu reached base on a fielding error to lead off the inning, followed by an RBI double by Daniel Descalso to score LeMahieu. Descalso would then come home to score on an RBI single by Gonzalez to give the Rockies a 5-0 advantage. The shutout wouldn’t last for long as Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford opened the fourth inning with back to back singles into center to leave runners at the corners. Joaquin Arias would then hit a one out sacrifice fly to right, scoring Pence to cut the lead to 5-1. The Rockies would get the run back in the bottom of the fourth as LeMahieu would hit a line drive into right field, reaching third base on a fielding error by the outfielder, coming home to score as Descalso would hit an RBI single into left for a 6-1 lead.
Things would go to hell in the fifth inning as pinch hitter Brandon Belt led off with a walk, followed by back to back two out singles by Buster Posey and Pence to load the bases. That would bring up Crawford who would clear the bags with a three run double, cutting the Rockies lead to 6-4. And because there were only two viable pitchers in the bullpen, the Rockies had no choice but to leave Eddie Butler on the mound to try and get through at least the sixth inning to spare the bullpen any further damage, with a three game series in Cincinnati beginning the very next night. The Rockies would manage to open their lead back up to three with a solo home run by Dickerson, his second of the game, in the fifth inning. The Giants would earn that run right back in the sixth as Juan Perez hit a two out single to left, followed by an RBI triple by Nori Aoki to cut the lead to 7-5. Aoki would try to turn it into an inside the park home run, but he would be cut down at the plate for the final out of the inning. Unfortunately in the seventh inning, Christian Friedrich would prove to be nowhere near ready to take over on the mound, as he would give up a leadoff walk to Gregor Blanco, an RBI double to Posey and an RBI single to Crawford to tie the game at 7-7, a double play mercifully ending the inning. Boone Logan would take over in the eighth and ninth innings, and he would blow it for the Rockies as he gave up a one out triple to Blanco, followed by taking a ground off the left leg, the ball deflected into no man’s land in the infield for an RBI single by Posey to give San Francisco an 8-7 lead.
The Rockies wouldn’t go quietly in the bottom of the ninth as Wilin Rosario and pinch hitter Justin Morneau would open with back to back singles, followed by an RBI double to center by Nolan Arenado to tie the game at 8-8 and leave the Rockies with runners on second and third and no outs. LeMahieu would try and drive the winning run home, but would ground out to third base. Descalso would try and sacrifice bunt the winning run home, but would strikeout as he missed a bunt attempt with two strikes, and the Giants would pick off Morneau at third to kill the Rockies chances at a win and send both teams to extra innings for the third game in a row. A tired Tommy Kanhle would come on in the tenth inning. Unfortunately, Arias would hit a one out triple to center and would end up scoring on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Duffy to give the Giants a 9-8 lead. The Rockies weren’t going to give up yet, as Gonzalez would lead off the bottom of the tenth with a solo home run to left field to tie things back up. And the Rockies would win it with a walk off home run by Dickerson, his third of the day, as Colorado would hit back to back home runs to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 10-9 extra innings win.
Player of the game was Corey Dickerson, going 3-5 with three home runs, two solo home runs and a three run home run, scoring three runs and driving in five RBI. Another top hitter was Carlos Gonzalez, going 3-5 with two singles and a solo home run, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Top hitter for the Giants was Brandon Crawford, going 3-5 with two singles and a double, driving in four RBI. Another top hitter was Buster Posey, going 3-5 with two singles and a double, scoring two runs and driving in two RBI. Winning pitcher was Tommy Kahnle to improve to 2-0, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 2.49 ERA. Christian Friedrich was tagged with his fourth blown save, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout for a 2.81 ERA. Starting pitcher Eddie Butler went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts for a 7.35 ERA. Losing pitcher was George Kontos to drop to 1-1, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 5.21 ERA. Santiago Casilla was tagged with his second blown save, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and no strikeouts for a 2.29 ERA in the ninth inning. Starting pitcher Tommy Hanson went only 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 8 hits, 6 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 6 strikeouts for a 5.40 ERA.
San Francisco – 3-6-0 F/10
Colorado – 4-9-1
San Francisco - 2-15-0 F/27
Colorado - 1-23-0
San Francisco – 9-16-2 F/10
Colorado - 10-14-0
And so, after playing 5.2 games worth in a three game series, the Rockies would stumble out of the 15 round bar fight taking two out of three games on tenth inning walk off heroics. That, combined with the Dodgers going on a two game losing streak to close the weekend against the Padres, would give the Rockies a 2 game lead over the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. Now would come the true challenge. After playing five games and change in the span of a three game series, the Rockies would have to somehow pull themselves together as they would instantly depart for the airport, flying to Cincinnati to open a three game series with the Reds, first pitch on Monday coming at an extremely unfriendly 1:10 PM. Worst of all was still not knowing who would be the starting pitcher Monday, as Jordan Lyles would need at least another day of rest after his extra shift on Saturday. The only options would be to move Tyler Chatwood up and start him a day earlier than scheduled which would limit his innings and/or pitch count as he would be coming in short on rest, a bad combination with our decimated bullpen, or bring up Tyler Matzek, AAA Albuquerque's scheduled starter for their Monday night game, and have him make a spot start for the Rockies on Monday before being sent back to Albuquerque after the game.
Colorado Rockies (26-18) vs Cincinnati Reds (17-27)
May 25-27, 2015
Great American Ball Park - Cincinnati, Ohio
Probable Starters:
Game One - Monday 1:10 PM
Tyler Matzek (3-2, 2.77 ERA in AAA) vs Johnny Cueto (1-2, 3.62 ERA)
Game Two - Tuesday 7:10 PM
Tyler Chatwood (6-1, 2.65 ERA) vs Homer Bailey (2-3, 3.57 ERA)
Game Three - Wednesday 12:35 PM
Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 1.18 ERA) vs Mike Leake (4-3, 3.76 ERA)
After taking a very difficult series against the Giants, the Rockies would have to recover fast with a 1 PM game against the Reds the very next day. This would kick off a six game road trip to the east coast, stopping in Cincinnati for three games, then after getting Thursday off, visiting the Phillies over the weekend.
With Jordan Lyles not ready to go after putting in overtime innings during Saturday's historic marathon, AAA Albuquerque #1 starting pitcher (and #2 pitching prospect) Tyler Matzek would be called up to make a start in place of Lyles on Monday. With few options for players to send down to Albuquerque for one day, Eddie Butler would draw the short straw, joining the Isotopes in New Orleans for one day. Matzek was scheduled to start Monday night for the Isotopes, but instead Jon Gray, fresh off the disabled list, would be called on to fill in as the starter that night.
Last edited by SmoothPancakes; 07-02-2015 at 12:46 AM.
Hey Steeler, what have you had the injury slider set to in your franchise? It's been sort of bothering me the lack of MLB injuries on my team. I've had minor league injuries up the ass, but only two MLB level injuries that at most lasted 1-3 days. I originally started with the slider at 6 and last bumped it up to 8 sometime in late April.
I've had it at 9 all year. With it there, I had enough injuries to be interesting and create a bit of juggling and a challenge but it wasn't so many that it was annoying.Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes
Alright, I may bump it up to 9 then next time I'm on. I did a test franchise in May with it at 10 and it was like half my roster was clinically dead. So 10 seemed like overkill, but 8 so far has been almost nonexistent other than a pregame injury and an injury from an outfielder catching a ball with his face, and both only out for a couple days in each case.
Minor league injuries has been decent. I seem to have 5-6 players injured at any given time (almost exclusively SPs and RPs), which has caused some juggling and working around to try and fill the holes. But with almost nothing in MLB, fatigue has been the only challenge thus far. With only 5 games left in May, I'm looking to get some MLB guys caught by the injury bug too to up the difficulty and challenge.
I may also give the CPU a power boost at the plate while I'm at it, try to give them some more hits, more home runs, etc. May also drop a couple of my pitching sliders. My pitchers have had a few too many 8-10 strikeout games for my tastes. See how any changes play out over the course of a month and then reevaluate at the end of June.
The minor league injuries continued to rack up on Monday as AAA Albuquerque left fielder Kyle Parker suffered a head concussion during a game against New Orleans. The injury would leave Parker sidelined for 2-3 weeks, landing him a spot on the 15 day DL.
Bad news would occur during Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, as Troy Tulowitzki injured his hip while fielding a routine double play in the bottom of the first inning, limping off the field with the trainer after the play. Following the game, the trainers reported that Tulowitzki suffered a inflamed hip that would leave him sidelined for 2-3 weeks, landing Tulowitzki on the 15 day DL.
The Rockies weren't the only ones to suffer a loss in Tuesday's game, as Brandon Phillips would injure his leg while sliding into third base in the sixth inning. After the game, it would be reported that Phillips suffered a sprained ligament in his knee during the slide, leaving him out of action for 3-4 weeks and also landing him on the 15 day DL.
Elsewhere in the Rockies organization, the hits would keep on coming in AAA Albuquerque as starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa suffered a fractured hand during his start on Tuesday. The injury will leave him out of action for 1-2 months with a trip to the 15 day DL for now, with a potential move to the 60 day DL later.
In associated roster moves, Daniel Descalso (28 years old, 69, C) was made the new starting shortstop for the Rockies. Cristhian Adames (23 years old, 70, C) was promoted from AAA Albuquerque to take over as backup shortstop in the majors, which will also give an additional back up at second and third base thanks to his secondary positions. To fill the hole in Albuquerque, AA New Britain shortstop Trevor Story (22 years old, 63, B) was promoted to AAA and made the new starting shortstop there. And to give AA New Britain an extra shortstop, rookie Brendan Rodgers (18 years old, 68, A) was promoted from A Modesto to New Britain.
To replace De La Rosa in AAA Albuquerque, AA New Britain starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21 years old, 66, A) was promoted to AAA. So far in AA, Freeland has a 4-1 record with a 3.06 ERA in 9 games pitched, giving up 52 hits, 5 home runs, 12 walks and 52 strikeouts. To fill Freeland's spot in AA New Britain, rookie starting pitcher Mike Nikorak (19 years old, 66, A) was promoted from A Modesto.
Tyler Anderson (25 years old, 65, B), a starting pitcher with Modesto was also promoted to AA New Britain and will be used both in the rotation and out of the bullpen. Anderson started the season in AA New Britain, but ended up demoted to Modesto in May after going 0-3 with a 7.13 ERA in just five starts. Anderson will return to AA baseball coming out of the bullpen to start, maybe regaining his starting spot in the rotation if he can turn his season around.
In trade news on Sunday, Toronto traded 1B Justin Smoak (28 years old, 71, C) to Seattle for SP Jordan Pries (25 years old, 68, C). Pries joins Toronto's AAA starting rotation while Smoak takes over at first base in the majors for Seattle.
After the Giants series that saw a record breaking marathon and every game go to extra innings, a very tired Rockies would put up their best fight against the Reds, but it wouldn’t be enough as Cincinnati would take two of three games from Colorado with a pair of ninth inning walk offs.
The first game of the series would see a home run fest. The Rockies would break onto the scoreboard first with a solo home run by Troy Tulowitzki in the bottom of the first inning. Then in the second inning Charlie Blackmon would go yard with a solo shot for a 2-0 lead. The Reds would cut the lead in half in the sixth inning as Billy Hamilton hit a one out triple to right, followed by Zack Cozart smacking a double to center to score Hamilton. The Rockies would score twice in the seventh inning as both Corey Dickerson and Nick Hundley managed to squeak home runs over the right field wall to go up 4-1. An RBI sacrifice fly by Brandon Phillips to score Devin Mesoraco in the bottom of the seventh and a solo home run in the eighth inning by Kristopher Negron would pull the Reds within one at 4-3, but they wouldn’t be able to finish off the comeback.
Player of the game was Charlie Blackmon, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Other top hitters were Troy Tulowitzki and Corey Dickerson, both going 1-3 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI, as well as Nick Hundley, going 1-4 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI. Top hitter was Kristopher Negron, going 1-1 with a solo home run, one run scored and one RBI as a pinch hitter. Winning pitcher was Tyler Matzek to improve to 1-0, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 5 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 1.50 ERA. Christian Friedrich picked up his second hold, despite giving up two runs on two hits in two innings of work, and Rex Brothers picked up his first save of the year as he worked the ninth inning in place of a resting John Axford. Losing pitcher was Johnny Cueto to drop to 1-3, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 3.51 ERA.
The second game would again see home runs in abundance, as well as both teams losing players to injury in a game that the Rockies would lose twice. The first loss came in the first inning when what appeared to be a routine double play ended with All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki limping off the field, suffering from a sharp pain in his hip after fielding the ball and throwing to second, forcing Daniel Descalso in to replace in. The Rockies would open up the scoring in the second inning as Carlos Gonzaelz went yard to right field with a solo home run, followed by a solo home run to left by Eugenio Suarez in the bottom of the second to immediately leave things deadlocked 1-1. The Rockies would take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning as Wilin Rosario hit a home run to center. The Reds would receive a scare in the bottom of the sixth as Brandon Phillips roped a line drive into left field, reaching second on a fielding error by Gonzalez. Phillips would advance to third after tagging up on a fly out to center by Joey Votto, but Phillips would suffer a leg injury during the slide into third, forcing him to be removed from the game. The Reds would re-tie the game in the seventh inning as Josh Satin reached based on a fielder’s choice, followed by an RBI double by Skip Schumaker to score Satin from first for a 2-2 ball game. Both teams would get runners on base, but it wouldn’t be until the tenth inning that a team could score, when Brennan Boesch would end the game with a one out walk off solo home run to center for the 3-2 extra innings victory.
Player of the game was Eugenio Suarez, going 3-4 with a single, a triple and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Carlos Gonzalez, going 3-4 with two singles and a home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Tony Cingrani to improve to 2-0, going 3.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, no runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.52 ERA. Starting pitcher Homer Bailey went 5.2 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and a 4 strikeouts for a 3.53 ERA. Losing pitcher was John Axford to drop to 1-2, going 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 5.32 ERA. Starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood went 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 2.66 ERA.
The third game of the series would see the tired Rockies fall flat on their faces, as multiple starters were given the day off due to lingering fatigue from the Giants series, which would also lead to rookie Cristhian Adames being forced into his first major league start the same day he was called up, filling in at second base. The Reds would immediately get on the board in the bottom of the first as Billy Hamilton led off with a home run to right, but a leadoff home run by Drew Stubbs in the second inning would tie it back up briefly. The Reds would go right back on top as Mike Leake opened the bottom of the third with a double to center, followed by Hamilton stroking his second home run of the game to right field, giving the Reds a 3-1 lead. Top of the fifth would see Nolan Arenado hit a two out double to center, followed by rookie Cristhian Adames lining a single to center to score Arenado. Then in the sixth inning, Nick Hundley would single to right field, coming around to score from first on a line drive double to center by Charlie Blackmon to tie it at 3-3. The Reds would get a run right back in the bottom of the sixth as an RBI single to left by Jay Bruce would score Zack Cozart to give the Reds a 4-3 advantage. The Rockies would manage to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning as Nick Hundley homered to left field, but pitching would fail the Rockies in the bottom of the ninth inning as Bruce reached base thanks to a wild pitch on a third strike, coming home to score the game winning run on a line drive double to center by Eugenio Suarez to give the Reds a 5-4 win and the series victory.
Player of the game was Billy Hamilton, going 2-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBI driven in. Top hitter for the Rockies was Nick Hundley, going 2-3 with a single, a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Burke Badenhop to improve to 2-1, going 1.1 innings pitched, giving up no hits and no runs. J.J. Hoover was tagged with his fourth blown save, going just 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits and one run in the eighth inning. Starting pitcher Mike Leake went 7.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts for a 3.77 ERA. Losing pitcher was Rafael Betancourt to drop to 2-1, going 0.0 innings pitched, giving up 1 hit, 1 run, no earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 1.42 ERA. Starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, no walks and 5 strikeouts for a 1.67 ERA.
Colorado – 4-11-0
Cincinnati – 3-7-1
Colorado – 2-11-2 F/10
Cincinnati – 3-8-0
Colorado – 4-11-0
Cincinnati – 5-7-0
And so with the series loss and the two game stumble, Colorado’s grip on first place in the NL West drops to just one game ahead of the persistent LA Dodgers, and the Rockies are left to prepare for a three game weekend series at the Philadelphia Phillies, after a much, badly needed day of rest on Thursday.
Last edited by SmoothPancakes; 07-04-2015 at 09:50 PM.
Colorado Rockies (27-20) vs Philadelphia Phillies (20-29)
May 29-31, 2015
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Probable Starters:
Game One - Friday 7:05 PM
Jordan Lyles (3-3, 3.45 ERA) vs Aaron Harang (0-7, 7.93 ERA)
Game Two - Saturday 3:05 PM
David Hale (2-3, 3.96 ERA) vs Cole Hamels (4-3, 2.17 ERA)
Game Three - Sunday 1:35 PM
Eddie Butler (2-3, 7.35 ERA) vs Jerome Williams (0-2, 6.23 ERA)
After dropping two out of three games to the Cincinnati Reds, the Rockies would look to close out their six game road trip, and close out the month of May, on a better note with a trip to face the Philadelphia Phillies, a team the Rockies swept four games from just the week before.
Some trade news broke on Saturday evening as Washington traded RF Jayson Werth (35 years old, 76, B) to Texas for LF Michael Choice (25 years old, 67, B).
The move gives the Nationals an extra MLB level left fielder (as their current one is Tyler Moore, a 28 year old C potential player rated 68 OVR) while moving an aging Werth out who was stuck on the bench behind Bryce Harper.
The same goes for Texas as Choice was stuck in AAA due to both Josh Hamilton and Delino De Shields Jr. taking up MLB roster slots above him at left field while picking up a starting right fielder still under contract for three more years.
The Rockies would try to regain momentum after a disappointing series loss to the Cincinnati Reds, but instead of the four game sweep from a week ago, the Rockies would face defeat against the Philadelphia Phillies this time as the Rockies would drop two out of three games in the city of brotherly love.
The first game of the series would an early struggle for hits, followed by another late inning loss. The Phillies would get on board first in the bottom of the first inning with Ben Revere reaching base on a fielding error, followed by a two run home run by Maikel Franco to left field for a 2-0 lead. Both teams would go scoreless for the next 5 innings, while the Rockies would be held to just a lone first inning single. Colorado wouldn’t get their second hit of the game until a two out triple by Charlie Blackmon in the fifth inning, though a ground out would end the scoring threat. The Rockies would finally reach home plate in the sixth inning as Drew Stubbs led off with a double to right, followed by an RBI double to center by D.J. LeMahieu to score Stubbs, although LeMahieu was thrown out at third while trying to take an extra base. That would come back to bite the Rockies as Daniel Descalso came up next with a double to center, followed by a ground ball single to center by Carlos Gonzalez to score Descalso and tie the game 2-2. In the seventh inning, the Rockies would see Michael McKenry and Blackmon get on with back to back singles, followed by an RBI double by Justin Morneau to score McKenry. A sacrifice fly to left field by Cristhian Adames would score Blackmon to give the Rockies a 4-2 lead. The Phillies would answer right back in the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run by Chase Utley, a single to left by Odubel Herrera and an RBI double to left by Revere to score Herrera and tie the game at 4-4. The Phillies would take the lead for good in the eighth inning as Domonic Brown led off with a double to right field, followed by a two run home run by Carlos Ruiz to put the Phillies on top to stay for the 6-4 victory.
Player of the game was Maikel Franco, going 2-4 with a single, a two run home run, one run scored and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was Charlie Blackmon, going 3-4 with two singles, a triple and a run scored. Winning pitcher was Justin De Fratus to improve to 1-3, going 1.2 innings hitless innings pitched between the seventh and eighth innings, with one strikeout for a 1.83 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon picked up his twelfth save with a one-hit ninth inning. Starting pitcher Aaron Harang went 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 7 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 7.44 ERA. The losing pitcher was Adam Ottavino to drop to 2-3, going 1.0 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 1.78 ERA. Tommy Kahnle was tagged with his first blown save after 1.0 innings pitched in which he gave up 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 earned runs to up his ERA to 3.00. Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles went 5.0 innings pitched, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, no earned runs, no walks and 3 strikeouts for a 3.18 ERA.
The second game would see a back and forth affair as neither team could solidify a lead for good until the very end. The Phillies would cross home first in the bottom of the first inning as Ben Revere smacked a two out triple to center, coming home to score on a throwing error to take an early 1-0 lead. The Rockies would answer in the third as pitcher David Hale would get on base, eventually coming around to score on an RBI ground out by Nolan Arenado, but the Phillies would come right back in the bottom of the third with a solo home run by Chase Utley for a 2-1 lead. In the seventh inning, the Rockies would plate two runs on solo home runs by both Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson, but the Phillies would again answer right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, as Revere led off with a single to right and stole second, coming around to score on an RBI double by Domonic Brown. Brown would then score on a line drive single to right to give the Phillies a 4-3 edge. The Rockies would take the lead for good in the eighth inning as Carlos Gonzalez led off with a single and would steal second base, scoring from second on a double to right by Nolan Arenado. After a pair of ground outs that would advance Arenado to third base, he would come home to score as Stubbs squeaked a ground ball into center for a single to give the Rockies the 5-4 lead and the eventual win.
Player of the game was Corey Dickerson going 2-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring one run and one RBI. Top hitter for the Phillies was Chase Utley going 2-4 with a triple, a home run, a run scored and one RBI. Winning pitcher was Christian Friedrich to improve to 2-1, going 0.2 innings pitched in the seventh inning, giving up no hits and striking out one for 3.38 ERA. Rex Brothers picked up his second save with two innings of two hit baseball. Starting pitcher David Hale went 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 3.99 ERA. Losing pitcher was Jake Diekman to drop to 0-1, going 0.2 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and no strikeouts for a 2.45 ERA in eighth inning action. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels went 6.1 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts for a 2.36 ERA.
The third game of the series would again see the Phillies jump out early as Chase Utley led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run, followed by back to back singles by Cesar Hernandez and Ben Revere before a sacrifice fly by Maikel Franco drove in Hernandez for a 2-0 lead. The third inning would see a pair of home runs as Wilin Rosario led off the third inning with a solo shot to center, and Revere would follow with a solo shot to center to lead off the bottom of the third for a 3-1 score. In the sixth inning, Nolan Arenado led off with a double before advancing to third on a ground out, coming in to score on an RBI single by Cristhian Adames to cut the gap to 3-2. The Phillies would open it up to two runs in the seventh inning as Utley smacked his second home run of the game. The Rockies would try and get something going in the eighth inning as Michael McKenry reached first on a throwing error and Arenado singled to put runners on first and second, but a double play would leave two outs and McKenry standing at third. Adames would come through again with another RBI single to left, scoring McKenry to make it a 4-3, but wouldn’t get another batter on base as the Phillies took the victory and the series win.
Player of the game was Chase Utley, going 3-4 with a triple and two solo home runs, scoring two runs and two RBI. Top hitter for the Rockies was rookie Cristhian Adames, going 3-4 with three singles and two RBI. Winning pitcher was Jerome Williams to improve to 1-2, going 6.2 innings pitched, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, no walks and 1 strikeout for a 5.25 ERA. Ken Giles got his tenth hold and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his thirteenth save. Losing pitcher was Eddie Butler to drop to 2-4, going 6.0 innings pitched, giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, no walks and 4 strikeouts for a 7.01 ERA.
Colorado – 4-10-1
Philadelphia – 6-9-0
Colorado – 5-9-1
Philadelphia – 4-8-0
Colorado – 3-8-0
Philadelphia – 4-11-1
And so with the second straight series loss, losing five of their last eight games, the Rockies would fall back to reality and back into a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting up one hell of an early week series as the Rockies return to Colorado to open three games against the Dodgers on Monday.
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