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For the third consecutive game, the Rockies took an early 2-0 lead, and for the third consecutive game, they walked off the field losers. Carlos Gonzalez got the scoring started early with an RBI double in the first and the Rockies manufactured another run in fourth via a Nolan Arenado double, a Charlie Blackmon sac bunt, and a successful squeeze play with Jonathan Herrera at the plate.
The Astros tied the score in the bottom of the inning on a Carlos Pena opposite field double to left and it would remain deadlocked until the bottom of the 12th when Brandon Barnes hit another opposite field double; this time, a pinch hit shot to right with men on first and second that was just out of the reach of a sprinting Michael Cuddyer's glove.
Of course, the game never should have gotten to that point. The Rockies had multiple opportunities to take control of this game but failed miserably with runners in scoring position all afternoon. Colorado went just 2 for their last 17 in this spot and neither one of those hits (a Carlos Gonzalez single in the third and a Troy Tulowitzki single in the 5th) plated a run.
At first, the problem was more about bad luck. This was most evident in the fourth. First, Troy Tulowitzki came up with the bases loaded and hit a sinking liner the opposite way but it was right at second baseman Jose Altuve. Then Wilin Rosario hit a ball back up the middle that was snared by pitcher Bud Norris for the second out before Jordan Pacheco lined out to center field to end the inning.
As the afternoon wore on though, the situational at bats got worse as the Rockies seemed to get pull happy. The Astros bullpen has been BY FAR the worse in baseball in terms of both ERA and OPS against, but you would never know it based on the five shutout innings they pitched today. The Rockies bullpen on the other hand finally cracked in the 12th when Wilton Lopez, who has been pitching well recently, surrendered a run in the 12th after Rex Brothers, Matt Belisle, and Adam Ottovino all put zeros on the board.
Another frustrating aspect of today's game was the defense. The Rockies kicked the ball around quite a bit today with three errors while the Astros played near flawless defense including several nice plays from shortstop Marwin Gonzalez. If the Rockies were waiting for the "LOL Astros" to show up and lose this game, they never arrived.
The bottom line though is that the Rockies threw away a game that should have been a win. Troy Tulowitzki left seven men on base and Wilin Rosario left eight. Colorado will now have to take each of the next three to avoid completely pissing away the gift the schedule makers gave them when they made the Houston Astros their "Natural Rival".
Source: FanGraphs
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Games Behind: 2.0
Games Left: 111
Record needed to beat Keith Law's prediction: 27-84
Record needed to beat 2012: 38-73
Record needed to beat the Vegas Over / Under Number: 45-66
Record needed to finish above .500: 55-56
Number of Home Runs needed for Cargo, Tulo, and Rosario to combine for 100: 68
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Game 2 of this series begins tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. Mountain Time and will feature a pitching matchup of Jorge De La Rosa (6-3, 3.40) vs. Jordan Lyles (2-1, 5.40).