Despite three home runs from Charlie Blackmon, the Rockies lost to the White Sox 12-10 on Wednesday in a back-and-forth heartbreaker. This was a classic Coors Field roller coaster contest. It turns out even in the sim world, coming out on the wrong end is no fun.
The Rockies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, only to find themselves down 5-1 in the next frame. Colorado came back to tie the game and even took the lead, and then went through that whole cycle again to earn a 10-8 lead going into the ninth inning. That’s when the unthinkable happened: Scott Oberg blew a save and Chicago scored four times in the top of the ninth. The loss capped off a horrible homestand where the Rockies (14-15) went 0-5, being swept by the Brewers and White Sox.
Chuck gets Natzy
The first bomb came in the first inning when Blackmon helped the Rockies take their first-ever lead of the homestand at 1-0. Charlie’s second blast came in his second at bat in the third inning when he belted a third-deck shot to right field with Trevor Story on base to tie the game at 5-all. (This tie was made possible by a two-run homer from Ian Desmond in the second inning.) After Ryan McMahon hit a solo shot in the fourth, the Rockies regained the lead at 6-5. Blackmon added some cushion to that lead with his third homer of the day (sixth of the season) in the fifth inning to chase Chicago starter Lucas Giolito from the game. In the seventh inning, Chuck hit an RBI single to score Chris Owings, who had hit a leadoff triple, to tie the game at 8-all and give him five RBI on the day. When Story led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, Blackmon hit a sac fly to move him to third and he never got any farther. Does it seem like too much to ask for a four-homer day that would have tied the game in the ninth? Come on Charlie!
Nooooo! Not Oberg too
When Wade Davis lost his closer spot, we rejoiced. We thought we were in the clear with the flawless Oberg. I guess it turns out no one is perfect, not the real Oberg or the sim Oberg. The Rockies were up 10-8 going into the ninth, but after two walks and a single, the bases were loaded with no outs. Then came a fielder’s choice to trade an out for a run, which was the first Oberg allowed in the sim season. Then there was another walk to reload the bases and then an infield hit to tie the game. James Pazos then entered and got Zack Collins to hit a weak grounder to Daniel Murphy, who tried to turn a double play. He got Danny Mendick at second, but not Collins at first as the White Sox went up 11-10. All inning, Rockies fans were yelling at the sim infielders to throw home, especially on the go-ahead run, but the sim players just didn’t listen. García then made the Rockies pay one more time with an RBI single to score the final run of the game. By the time it was over, Oberg was responsible for four earned runs thanks to three walks and two hits.
Starting pitching woes continue
Antonio Senzatela started so strong. He had four strikeouts in the second inning. Then the White Sox struck back. Giolito, the American League pitcher who hadn’t had an at bat in the sim season, hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. Leury García then hit a three-run homer. After two homers on Tuesday, including a grand slam, the Rockies would have been better off walking García. He finished the two-game series against the Rockies with 10 RBI. Senzatela made it until the fourth inning when he was replaced by Jeff Hoffman. Senzatela gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings on six hits, but he did finish with six strikeouts for one bright note. He and Hoffman also proved they need more practice bunting. Each pitcher attempted to move a runner over, but instead ending up hitting into a double play. Hoffman only gave up one run in 3 2/3 innings in a good performance. Jario Díaz came into the game in the seventh with a 7-6 Rockies lead that was erased by a Yasmani Grandal two-run homer. Jake McGee pitched an uneventful eighth inning, which was fantastic, especially considering the Rockies had reclaimed a 10-8 lead going into the ninth.
Homer leader RyMac
McMahon’s home run was his 10th on the season, which leads the Rockies. He also hit a two-run double in the eighth inning to finish the day going 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored.
Watch it here
Up Next
The Rockies will be off on Thursday before hitting the road for a six-game swing to Philadelphia and Detroit. First up is the Phillies with Kyle Freeland pitching for the Rockies and Zack Wheeler on the mound for Philadelphia. First pitch is at 5:05 p.m. MT.