Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | August 17, 2024
The Rockies were victorious to begin a celebratory weekend at Coors Field.
Game Story
Colorado started the game smoldering hot, scoring four runs in the first inning. After the first two hitters reached against San Diego starter Matt Waldron, Ryan McMahon lofted a bloop single into the outfield, scoring Charlie Blackmon for the game’s first run. The next batter, Brendan Rodgers, clubbed a three-run homer 439 feet into the left field bleachers, giving the Rockies a 4-0 first-inning lead.
The Padres cut the deficit in half in the second inning when Ha-Seong Kim launched a two-run homer off Rockies starter Cal Quantrill. However, Colorado quickly responded with some power of their own.
In the bottom of the inning, Jordan Beck singled with one out, setting the stage for Charlie Blackmon. Blackmon then crushed his eighth home run of the season, a 450-foot blast, to reclaim the Rockies’ four-run lead, making it 6-2.
Following a scoreless third inning, the Padres scored a run to open the fourth. After working ahead 2-0 against Quantrill, Xander Bogaerts whacked a sinker 447 feet to left field for a solo shot, closing the Rockies’ lead to 6-3.
The Rockies added a tally in the sixth inning on Jordan Beck’s third hit of the night. After Michael Toglia started the inning with a double, the next two batters were retired and it looked like the Rockies were going to strand him and waste a scoring opportunity. Fortunately, Jordan Beck delivered a two-strike, two-out single to right field, scoring Toglia and extending the Colorado lead to 7-3.
Despite giving up a pair of homers, Cal Quantrill wound up tossing five innings, allowing just three earned runs on six hits, while amassing five strikeouts.
After Quantrill departed, the bullpen combined to toss four scoreless innings. Angel Chivilli worked around a hit and two walks to fire a scoreless sixth, then he was replaced by Lucas Gilbreath, who made his return to the mound for the first time in 721 days.
‘Gilly’ pitched 0.2 innings, then was relieved by Tyler Kinley, who struck out two hitters in 1.1 innings. Victor Vodnik entered in the ninth to secure the victory for Colorado, 7-3.
Quotes
Rockies manager Bud Black on the stellar play of Brendan Rodgers: “He’s hitting well at home; I like that. But overall, I think on the road we’re seeing good at-bats too… I think he’s driving the ball better. I’m seeing the ball get in the gaps and a few balls over the fence. The swing is crisp with some bat speed to it. So, it’s good.”
Brendan Rodgers on his hot-hitting: “It’s been fun. I usually struggle in August, looking back on the last couple years. I talked to my hitting guy and some other people I trust a lot… It is the dog days, you just got to grind through it and I’ll just continue to put together good at-bats.”
Lucas Gilbreath on his return: “When you miss that much time, it almost feels like a second debut in a sense. Just being able to get out there and kind of take in the surroundings, obviously being at home, being at Coors, seeing all the fans… it was awesome.”
Notes
Starting pitcher Cal Quantrill logged his eighth win of the season and has gone 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA (57.0 IP, 22 ER) in 10 starts at Coors Field.
Reliever Tyler Kinley has 10-straight scoreless appearances, the longest streak by a Rockies pitcher since Matt Koch’s 10-game streak from June 27-July 21, 2023.
Celebrating his 26th birthday on Friday, Michael Toglia extended his career-best hitting streak to nine games. He is batting .355 (11-for-31) with four doubles and one triple over the streak.
What’s Next for the Colorado Rockies?
On Saturday, the Rockies will host ‘Todd Helton Day’ at Coors Field, celebrating Hall of Famer Todd Helton with a bobblehead giveaway and a pregame ceremony. The probable starters for the game are RHP Dylan Cease (11-9, 3.41 ERA) for San Diego and LHP Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.75 ERA) for Colorado. First pitch is set for 6:10 MT.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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