The Sim Rockies managed to hold off another ninth inning rally to force an end to their five-game losing streak, besting the Phillies on Friday, 6-4. The Rockies managed 13 hits for the second straight game, including Ryan McMahon’s 11th home run of the season and Charlie Blackmon’s fourth in the last two games.
Scott Oberg was removed in the ninth inning due to a wrist injury and placed on the 15-day IL after the game; Tim Collins (1.86 ERA in 9 2⁄3 innings in ABQ) was called up from Triple-A.
Wild and crazy ninth
For those of you who like your adventure with a good dose of risk mitigation, you can follow all that happened in the ninth inning at this link without the fear that live viewers had to live with that the Rockies might blow yet another lead and lose.
Carlos Estevez started the inning and managed to allow two hits, a run, and secure an out before he was lifted for Scott Oberg. Oberg threw five pitches before he had to be removed due to a wrist injury (Sim Keith Dugger speculated he would be in for a lengthy IL stint) and Wade Davis’ first pitch resulted in a walk to Scott Kingery. He got Rhys Hoskins to fly out to shallow center but a base hit lined off his leg to load the bases and he walked in a run to make it 6-4.
But have no fear, Tyler Kinley is here! Not many would have predicted that his entering into a two-run game with the bases loaded would be cause for relief but he was able to get Bryce Harper to ground out to second to end the game. So, a wild but much better ending ninth inning than Wednesday’s game.
Offense stays Nazty
For the second game in a row the Rockies pounded out 13 hits, including another home run for Charlie Blackmon, his fourth in two games. If you think that’s hot, you should check out Ryan McMahon, who blasted his fifth home run in six games in the sixth to make it 5-0 Rockies.
That was RyMac’s 11th jack on the season, leading the team. Trevor Story also had a stellar day, finishing a home run short of the cycle in going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. The best part of the team putting up another 13 hits on Friday: this time it came in a win.
Bounceback for Freeland
Save for losing time due to taking a comebacker off the face, Kyle Freeland was flying on cloud nine to start the 2020 Sim season. But he gave up three runs in five innings his last time out in a good-for-Coors-Field start. He fared much better at the bandbox known as Citizens Bank Park, allowing just two runs (both in the sixth) on eight hits with no (zero!) walks. He was lifted with one out and one on in the seventh, marking the first quality start a Rockies pitcher has put up in a week.
Watch it here
Up Next
Game 2 of the series and the road trip comes Saturday afternoon. Chi Chi González (1-2, 4.50) vs Jake Arrieta (0-2, 6.68) at 2:15 pm MT.