Rockies Win 4th Straight, Sink Marlins 5-3
The Colorado Rockies (45-71) opened their series against the Miami Marlins (53-66) in Denver last night with a 5-3 win, making it their 4th straight. Michael Cuddyer returned from the disabled list to hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Game 2 of the four-game series is tonight at 6:40 at Coors Field (TV: Root Sports).
Michael Cuddyer’s two-run shot in his first game off the DL tied the game in the sixth inning, and Josh Rutledge, nursing a sore left quad, came off the bench to leg out a pinch-hit triple to plate the game-winner and score an insurance run on a squeeze bunt in the seventh.
Cuddyer may have looked rusty in his first two at-bats, striking out on a pair of Ricky Nolasco sliders that bounced past his swinging bat, but in a game marked by the Rockies’ ability to adjust to a pitcher who had their number early, Cuddyer came back in his third at-bat to drive a slider deep into the left-field seats for a two-out, two-run, game-tying homer.
“The adjustment I made was if you just swing at enough of them, he’ll hang one at least,” Cuddyer said of Nolasco’s slider. “Obviously the ones I struck out on were in the dirt, and this one wasn’t.”
Nolasco went the distance for an eight-inning complete game, but the more the Rockies saw of him, the more effectively they were able to break through against him.
Carlos Gonzalez set up the two-out homer by placing a beautiful bunt to third for a two-out base hit, taking advantage of an infield that had too much respect for his power to creep in on him.
Official: Thursday’s Box Score.
It was the Rockies’ 23rd come-from-behind victory of the season, accounting for more than half of their 45 wins. They fell behind early when Carlos Lee drove a solo homer to left to lead off the second. Colorado came back on a DJ LeMahieu triple to the left-center alley with two outs and a wild pitch with starting pitcher Alex White at the plate, allowing LeMahieu to score in the bottom of the inning. But the Marlins pulled back ahead when Lee walked to lead off the fourth, advanced to third on a single to right by Greg Dobbs, then came home on a wild pitch.
White was out after four innings, having thrown 74 pitches, one shy of the Rockies’ pitch limit with their four-man rotation. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks (one intentional) while striking out three. While acknowledging the effectiveness of his sinker, he doesn’t have confidence in his command with it at this point.
Giancarlo Stanton became the third leadoff man in the first six innings to score when he launched a no-doubt rocket of a home run halfway up the center-field seats off Adam Ottavino, who made only one mistake in three solid innings of relief.
The Rockies broke out for a pair in the seventh, taking the lead when LeMahieu singled to center to open the inning, advanced to second on a wild pickoff attempt by the catcher, went to third on a sacrifice, and came home on rookie Rutledge’s triple to right in his first big league pinch-hit at-bat.
Tickets are available for tonight’s game at Coors Field vs. the Miami Marlins, and can be purchased by calling (800) 388-ROCK, or click here.
More From KOWB 1290
