Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | May 25, 2024
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Game Recap
The Rockies had not played at Coors Field since May 12. At last, they returned from a prolonged nine-game road trip to host the National League’s leaders, the Philadelphia Phillies. And it didn’t take long to get action on Friday night at Coors Field.
Three batters into the game, Bryce Harper was ejected by HP umpire Brian Walsh. Harper struck out on three pitches, and he was visibly upset with the called second strike which looked to be a bit low (and inside). After a bit of back-and-forth discussion between Harper and Walsh, Harper was tossed from the game.
After Harper’s early fireworks sparked the crowd, there was little offense through the first four innings. Rockies starter Ty Blach retired the first nine Phillies hitters in a row and cruised through the 4th. On the other side, Philadelphia’s starter, Cristopher Sánchez limited the Rockies offense to three baserunners in the first four frames.
However, leading off the 5th inning, Nick Castellanos broke the ice on the scoreboard. He launched a ball 445 feet, and by the time it landed, the Phillies had taken a 1-0 lead. Just two batters later, shortstop Edmundo Sosa hit his third homer of the season, and the Phillies extended the lead to 2-0.
The Rockies responded quickly in the bottom of the inning, as a Hunter Goodman double was followed by back-to-back singles from Alan Trejo and Ezequiel Tovar. Tovar’s run-scoring single continued his hot stretch, coming off the nine-game road trip in which he hit .302 with three home runs and six RBIs.
The Rockies finally chased Sánchez from the game in the fifth, but he pitched well against Colorado for the second time this season. On Friday, his final line was 5.1 innings, one earned run, seven hits allowed, a walk, and he struck out two. Back on April 17 in Philadelphia, Sánchez went 6 innings against the Rockies and only gave up one earned run while striking out 10.
Other than the two mistakes to Castellanos and Sosa, the Rockies got a stellar outing from Ty Blach. The lefty hurled 6.2 innings while yielding five hits and just two earned runs. His performance on Friday night gave the Rockies staff their fourth consecutive quality start.
From the sixth inning on, there were no runs scored. The Rockies trailed 2-1 and were down to their final out. With their chances on life support, Bud Black made the decision to pinch-hit Jacob Stallings for Alan Trejo. And on the very first pitch he saw from Phillies closer José Alvarado, Stallings roped a game-tying solo home run to send the game to extra innings.
In the tenth, both teams botched great chances to score, and the game went to the 11th inning. In the top half of the 11th, Rockies reliever Tyler Kinley struck out Johan Rojas and Alec Bohm to begin the frame, then induced a weak groundout off the bat of Nick Castellanos.
In the bottom of the 11th, the Rockies sent their fans home happy. With Brenton Doyle on second base to begin the inning, the Phillies walked Jordan Beck to try to set up a double play opportunity. After a Jake Cave strikeout and a Ryan McMahon walk, it was Ezequiel Tovar who laced a ball down the left field line, giving the Rockies a 3-2 comeback victory.
Quotables
After the game Rockies Manager Bud Black said the following:
On Tovar and his game-winning hit: “A year ago he would swing and the first pitch and expand the zone, but that is starting to look a little bit more like a veteran. The first pitch was a called strike, but it didn’t seem to bother him. Next pitch he got a fastball from a good fastball pitcher and he got the head out… We’re lucky… The coaches and I, the players, we’re seeing his growth and it’s awesome… This guy’s an All-Star type player in the making.”
On Ty Blach’s outing: “Ty did his thing. I think the difference from this start and the one in San Francisco was the fastball location and the changeup came into play a little bit more. Ty’s gotta pitch with the fastball and locate it and he did tonight.”
On Tyler Kinley‘s appearance: “It was a good bounceback. Gave up a couple of home runs against the A’s but I think getting the ball down with Tyler is key. He threw one fastball by Bohm up out of the strike zone but the majority of his pitches were down or down and away in good spots. That’s the key to Tyler.”
Other Notes
The attendance at Coors Field was 35,007. In the three games the Rockies played at Oakland, the combined attendance for the series was 14,508.
The Rockies have now won five straight home games, including their three-game sweep over the defending champions, the Texas Rangers.
The Rockies, oddly enough, have played in three consecutive 11+ inning games for the first time in franchise history.
What’s Next for the Rockies?
Tonight, the Rockies and Phillies will play Game 2 of their three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm MT. Probable starters are RHP Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05 ERA) for the Phillies and RHP Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89 ERA) for the Rockies.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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