Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | July 5, 2024
With Thursday’s win, the Rockies earned a series split with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Game Story
After being shutout on Wednesday, the Rockies got their 4th of July fireworks started early on Thursday night, opening the scoring in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon notched a single and moved to second on an Ezequiel Tovar sacrifice bunt, allowing Ryan McMahon to drive him in with a ground-rule double and give Colorado a 1-0 lead.
The Rockies added two in the second, both on a two-out RBI double from Charlie Blackmon. Blackmon ripped an 0-1 cutter from Milwaukee starter Tobias Myers just inside the first base line, easily scoring Michael Toglia. The Rockies benefitted from heads-up baserunning by trail runner Sam Hilliard to extend the Rockies’ lead to 3-0.
Milwaukee responded with two runs in the fourth inning, narrowing the Rockies’ lead to 3-2. With two outs and the bases loaded, courtesy of three walks issued in the inning by Colorado starter Cal Quantrill, Andruw Monasterio delivered a clutch RBI single, bringing in two runs.
The Brewers tied the game in the sixth via a Jackson Chourio RBI double that scored Rhys Hoskins, making the score 3-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, Colorado recaptured the lead thanks to the ‘Man of the People.’ Rockies outfielder Jake Cave, quickly becoming a fan favorite in Denver, launched his first home run of the season, catapulting the Rockies to a 4-3 lead. With the homer, Cave snapped a streak of 208 at-bats without a home run, which was the fourth-longest active homerless streak in the Majors.
From the seventh inning onward, neither team plated a run. The Rockies bullpen displayed three shutout innings from veterans Tyler Kinley and Jalen Beeks. Kinley tossed a 1-2-3 seventh and retired the first two men in the eighth before allowing a pair of baserunners. Beeks came on and struck out Garrett Mitchell to end the eighth inning threat, then fired a perfect ninth inning.
The victory for the Rockies secured a series split with the National League Central-leading Brewers, and ensured a happy night of firework viewing for Colorado and its fans.
Quotes
Manager Bud Black on Cal Quantrill’s start: “He’s been our most dependable pitcher and he’s shown all season long his ability to work out of jams and get through an inning. He’s a veteran pitcher and he knows as an inning unfolds – and there might be a bit of traffic – he knows who he needs to get out.”
Bud Black on Jake Cave: “Jake’s been playing solid. He’s up over .250 and he’s playing a great all-around game… over the last couple of months. Early in the year, we popped him in there for some defense and he got some spot starts. Now, with a couple of injuries and a couple other things going on, he’s gotten a lot of playing time and I think he’s making the most of it.”
Jake Cave on his homer: “Sometimes, that power stroke just takes a feel… Tonight, that pitcher (Myers) had a pretty good fastball and had some extra carry on it and we knew that. [The pitch I homered on] was inside and I hit it out to center… So I’m hoping that this sparks a little bit of a power surge for sure.”
Notes
Cal Quantrill recorded his 500th career strikeout by retiring Christian Yelich in the first inning. The accomplishment makes Quantrill the 16th Canadian-born Major Leaguer to reach the milestone including his dad, Paul Quantrill.
On Thursday, the Colorado bullpen held the Brewers to one run through four innings and had a 3.86 ERA (16.1 IP, 7 ER) in the series.
What’s Next for the Colorado Rockies?
Beginning Friday, the Rockies welcome the Kansas City Royals to Coors Field for a three-game series. In the series opener, probable starters are LHP Cole Ragans (5-6, 3.33 ERA) for Kansas City, and LHP Kyle Freeland (0-3, 7.94 ERA) for Colorado. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 MT.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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