Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | August 7, 2024
Playing in their first home game in 13 days, the Rockies rewarded the Coors Field crowd of 30,392 with a strong performance in the win over the Mets.
Rockies Roll Past Mets – Game 1
Game Story
After a scoreless first inning, both teams jumped on the scoreboard in the second.
In the top of the inning, the Mets had runners on first and second with one out when Ryan McMahon recorded the second out on this beautiful backhand play.
Unfortunately, Harrison Bader followed the dazzling play with a jammed single into left field, scoring two runs, and staking the Mets to a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Rockies scored their first run on a circus play. After Brendan Rodgers reached on a HBP against Mets starter Luis Severino, Kris Bryant singled to right-center field. Harrison Bader, the center fielder, cut the ball off and tried to fire to third base to nab Rodgers advancing, but his errant throw allowed Bryant to move up to second. As third baseman Mark Vientos went to retrieve the stray ball, he dropped it into the Mets dugout, pushing the ball out of play and allowing Bryant to advance to third, and Rodgers to score.
It is truly a play that one must see to believe, so take a look:
The Rockies took their first lead of the night in the fourth inning, when they scored three times, all with two outs.
After Brendan Rodgers led off with a single, the next two Colorado hitters were retired. Then, Elias Díaz roped a clutch RBI double, scoring Rodgers to tie the game, 2-2. Jake Cave followed Díaz with an opposite-field, two-run homer to provide Colorado with a 4-2 advantage.
In the fifth, the Mets answered with a run of their own, as with two outs, Brandon Nimmo laced a single to score Tyrone Taylor, cutting the lead to 4-3.
However, the Rockies responded quickly in the bottom of the inning. After a leadoff single by Ezequiel Tovar, Brendan Rodgers scored him with an RBI double, reclaiming a two-run lead for the Rockies, 5-3.
The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the eighth, when Elias Díaz scored a run with an RBI single, giving Colorado the winning margin, 6-3.
The Rockies bullpen was key on Tuesday, firing 4.1 innings of scoreless relief. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland left the game after 4.2 innings due to a blister emerging on his left index finger. In total, Freeland allowed three earned runs on four hits in the outing, while striking out seven.
After Freeland exited, Justin Lawrence came on to get the final out of the fifth, and also pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Rookie Angel Chivilli pitched a shutout seventh, and Tyler Kinley struck out two hitters in a 1-2-3 eighth.
Victor Vodnik entered the game in the ninth and earned his sixth save of the season, securing the win for the Rockies.
Quotes
Rockies manager Bud Black on Kyle Freeland’s start: “Kyle’s stuff was good. I think the two runs they scored, baseball got him… Soft hit by the catcher, jammed him, looper. Tovar just missed it, but that’s baseball. Soft hits… Overall, stuff was good.”
Bud Black on the bullpen: “[They made] a couple of big pitches when they needed to. [Justin] Lawrence came in and got [J.D.] Martinez… that sort of stalled their momentum… [Angel] Chivilli threw strikes… [Tyler] Kinley pounded the strike zone… Victor [Vodnik] got in the strike zone when he needed to.”
Kyle Freeland on his blister: “It developed in the fourth. I didn’t know that it was developing. It never got hot on me. Usually, these things do… Unfortunately, it was on a pitch that I use a lot, [my] curveball… This one got pretty big on me… We’ll see how it feels in the next few days.”
Notes
Jake Cave’s go-ahead homer for was his fifth blast of the season. Four of his five home runs this year have either tied the game or put the Rockies ahead.
Kris Bryant went 2-for-4 on Tuesday and is 10-for-29 (.345) with three doubles and four RBI through his last eight games.
After his shutout eighth inning, reliever Tyler Kinley is scoreless in 11 of his last 12 games, posting a 1.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 2 ER) through this span.
What’s Next for the Colorado Rockies?
On Wednesday, the Mets and Rockies will play the middle game of their three-game series. Probable starters are RHP Paul Blackburn (5-2, 4.11 ERA) for New York and RHP Ryan Feltner (1-10, 4.97 ERA) for Colorado. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 MT.
Story by Noah Spirek.
Prospect Profile: Brody Brecht
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