The Rockies exploded for eight runs in the eighth inning to give the team the win in the second game of this three-game series. This was a fun one.
German Márquez :fire emojis:
In a game with a lot of storylines to go around, German Márquez’s performance can’t get lost. He was brilliant. Márquez’s slider was particularly sharp, and it helped him strike out nine batters in his seven scoreless innings. He allowed just three hits and gave up one walk. The Rockies and Cardinals were knotted in a scoreless tie when Bud Black removed him for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. And then...
The offense comes through
Black went with Matt Holliday in a pinch. It was a moment set up for some heroics, and that’s what happened. Here’s the result, from the seats:
Of all the people to crush a home run in this series...it’s Matt Holliday ladies & gentlemen!!!! #rockies #cardinals #coorsfield #mlb pic.twitter.com/J4khHOhQnl
— Shannon Hurd (@LoveTheRox) August 26, 2018
But the Cardinals tied the game in the eighth inning after a bizarre play in which Tony Wolters couldn’t find ball four, kicked the ball away, and Harrison Bader ran home. The lead was short-lived. If you felt deflated after that, you’d be forgiven. Fortunately, Adam Ottavino was able to keep the game tied.
And then the bats showed up. DJ LeMahieu started things off with a single. Carlos González — one of the players the Rockies received when they traded Holliday to Oakland in 2008 — doubled LeMahieu home to give the Rockies the lead. Then maybe the best player to ever wear a Rockies uniform, Nolan Arenado, doubled CarGo home to add some cushion. And then all of this happened: David Dahl brought CarGo home to make it 4-1, Wolters — in a fit of redemption — doubled Dahl home. Ian Desmond entered the game to bring two more home, Charlie Blackmon doubled Desmond home, LeMahieu hit his second single of the inning to score Blackmon. When all was said and done, the Rockies were up 9-1.
After the Holliday home run, every feeling Rockies fan had the sense that this game has to be decided by that home run. It didn’t turn out that way. But the actual result is a reminder of just how much more the Rockies and these baseball games are than one player, even one as special as Holliday. What ended up happening was even better. Everyone in the lineup except Trevor Story had a hit in the eighth. It was fitting that a lot more players than just Holliday showed up to give the Rockies an important win.
Up next
The Rockies and Cardinals finish their three-game set tomorrow afternoon. Lefties Tyler Anderson and Austin Gomber get the starts, and first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 MT.