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As former Colorado Rockies' outfielder -- and Purple Row gif Hall-of-Famer -- Ryan Spilborghs said on the post-game show for ROOT Sports, "Three runs scored tonight via the walk tonight."
Catcher Nick Hundley played the hero in the bottom of the eighth inning with a home run to the most difficult place to clear the fence (left-center) at Coors Field. He tagged it well and we all know it because several hard line drives were swallowed up by the cold, damp night; dying on the warning track.
Hundley's blast comes a day after he was ejected from a game and that same fire showed in a productive way when during the blast and when teammates welcomed him back into the dugout -- desperately thankful for a sign of life after the they had blown two leads, surely some thinking ‘not again.'
Nick Hundley has been nothing short of exceptional considering the general lack of fanfare that accompanied his arrival. His impact on the young pitching staff, his passion, and his superior (to what the Rockies previously had) ability on defense were all at least somewhat to be expected, but his offense has made him one of the most valuable members of the team to date in 2015.
Wilin Rosario got the Rockies on the board with a two-out, two-RBI triple in the first inning, plating Troy Tulowitzki who had reached via error, and Carlos Gonzalez ... who walked. He scored on a single from Hundley to put the Rockies up 3-0, lest ye think his heroics confined to the late-innings.
Unfortunately, a lack of sharpness from Chad Bettis and a lack of sharpness from the defense behind him resulted in the Rockies giving the lead right back in the second and third innings.
Bettis settled down nicely however and would limit the damage to those three runs, getting through six innings and striking out five. Most importantly, though, he didn't walk a batter.
The Rockies walked four times to the Phillies one. It was weird.
A single from DJ LeMahieu and a VERY IMPORTANT WALK from Charlie Blackmon set the stage for a Troy Tulowitzki (clutch!) bloop double. Regardless of how it looked, the Rockies have been on the bad end of a lot of tough luck lately, so to see a swing play go in their favor was both welcome and mayhaps karmically deserved.
Have I mentioned yet that three runs scored tonight via the walk?
Scott Oberg earned the win (throwing only two pitches) by inducing an inning-ending double play in an eighth frame that could have easily gotten away from the Rockies. It usually does in those situations.
Boone Logan had been handed a two-run lead after Tulo's karma-double and he coughed it right up. He allowed four singles around striking out Ryan Howard. Two-runs would score on the final one from Maikel Franco after both moved up on a wild pitch from Logan.
He was ultimately bailed out of potentially blowing the game by the youngster Oberg.
"That was big time right there. Big time." said manager Walt Weiss of his rookie reliever.
John Axford picked up his fourth save, in four opportunities, by pitching a perfect ninth. He has allowed one run in 2015.
Quietly, the Rockies have been pitching well lately and tonight the offense finally joined them.
But the most salient detail of the night for a team with talent that has been losing close games and struggling to find consistency on the diamond, is that three runs were scored by batters who had walked tonight.
Do that more.