Everything worked for the Rockies today. The pitching was sharp, the defense was solid, and, crucially, the Rockies got hits just when they needed them. The biggest came in the eighth. The Rockies were hanging on to a 2-0 lead, but they had the bases loaded with one out. Mark Reynolds hit a grand slam to blow the game open. The Rockies added a couple more runs after that. In hindsight, they didn’t need all those runs, but it was nice to have that cushioned ride to complete the four-game sweep.
In what was supposed to be a bullpen game, Tyler Chatwood threw five scoreless innings. He didn’t always make it look easy though. Chatwood allowed five hits and walked two batters, with most of the traffic coming early. By inning, he allowed two runners to reach in each of the first three innings and one in the fourth. But Chatwood got out of every jam he found himself in, and he finally pitched a clean inning in the fifth. Chatwood left it to the bullpen to get the final 12 outs.
The Rockies got the scoring started in the first, when the first four Rockies to come to the plate reached base. That sequence resulted in a run and a bases loaded and no out situation. Carlos González couldn’t bring another one home though, as he popped out to second base. Mark Reynolds and Raimel Tapia struck out in back-to-back at bats to end the inning. Reynolds would later make-up for that strikeout in a grand fashion. The Rockies made it 2-0 in the third, after Nolan Arenado hit a sky-high homer to left field.
The Rockies got another bases loaded situation in the eighth, but this time they didn’t let the opportunity pass. DJ LeMahieu led off with a single, and Arenado walked after that. Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler then struck out Trevor Story for the first out, but he handed out a free pass to CarGo to load the bases. Reynolds came to the plate with one gone. Reynolds knocked a grand slam to make it 6-0 Rockies.
Step 1: Load the bases for Mark
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 10, 2017
Step 2: Wait for Mark to get up to bat
Step 3: Enjoy #BeLikeMark pic.twitter.com/rlKDChF7z7
The Dodgers have now lost an astounding 10 games in a row and 15 of their last 16 games. Remarkably, they’re still 41 games above .500. After the sweep, the Rockies improve to 78-65. The Diamondbacks, Brewers, and Cardinals all won today, so they remain five games behind the Diamondbacks for the top Wild Card spot and three games ahead of the Brewers and Cardinals for the second. The Rockies and D-backs start a four game set in Phoenix tomorrow. Kyle Freeland faces Zack Greinke in game one, which will begin at 7:40 MT.