Colorado Rockies win on walk-off wild pitch

The Rockies used some small ball in the bottom of the ninth to emerge with a 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

After John Axford allowed a solo home run to Reds first baseman Joey Votto that tied the game at five in the top of the ninth, Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon led off the bottom of the inning with a bunt single. Blackmon then stole second on Ryan Mattheus' first pitch to second baseman DJ LeMahieu on a play that was overturned on review and advanced to third on LeMahieu's ground out to second. Finally, with Troy Tulowitzki at the plate, Mattheus threw a pitch in the dirt that got past Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart, allowing Blackmon to race home with the winning run.

The Reds got on the board first in the top of the fourth when second baseman Brandon Phillips and third baseman Todd Frazier doubled against Rockies starter Eddie Butler. Butler then walked left fielder Marlon Byrd and allowed a two-run double to shortstop Ivan DeJesus to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.

The three runs Butler allowed in the fourth were all he would concede in his six innings of work, along with six hits, three walks and three strikeouts.

Colorado finally got on the board in the fifth against Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani on an RBI triple from catcher Nick Hundley that brought home left fielder Corey Dickerson, who was 2-for-3 with a walk in his return from the disabled list. Hundley then scored on a single from Blackmon, cutting the lead to 3-2.

The Rockies could have scored more in the fifth, but Butler, well, Butler did this:

Ohhh Eddie Butler. Oh no. Not like that. https://t.co/AtvulWg832

— Matt Burnell (@mdburnell) July 25, 2015

Luckily for Butler, Carlos Gonzalez picked him up on the offensive side of things, leading off the bottom of the sixth with a home run against DeScalfani, tying the game at three.

Rockies reliever LaTroy Hawkins gave up a run in the top of the eighth on a ground-rule double by pinch hitter Skip Schumaker that gave Cincinnati a 4-3 lead. However, Gonzalez was at it again, hitting his second home run of the night, third in two games and 16th of the season to tie the game at four. Third baseman Nolan Arenado followed the home run with a triple off the top of the right-field wall and scored on first baseman Ben Paulsen's sacrifice fly to give the Rockies a 5-4 lead and set up the dramatic ninth.

The Rockies will look for their second-straight win tomorrow night as Chris Rusin takes on Reds ace Johnny Cueto, if Cueto hasn't been traded by the 6:10 p.m. Mountain time first pitch.