Rockies 5, Rangers 2: Trevor Story’s two home runs propel team to victory

The Rockies are officially 2-1 and one game over .500 for the first time in 2020! The offense finally started to show itself and the pitching wasn’t half bad either. It also helps that the two-time AL Cy Young winner and new Texas Ranger was only able to pitch one inning. More on that in a moment.

Story times two!

Joey Gallo hit the first ever home run in the new Globe Life Field in the second inning, but Trevor Story hit the first homer for an away team.

The Texas native got the scoring started for the Rockies with his two-run shot in the fourth inning. David Dahl had walked just before to set up Story, who hit a 362-foot shot to right.

Not to be outdone, he added an insurance homer in the sixth to extend the Rockies lead to 4-2. It was a 424-foot second-deck shot to left this time.

Short outing for Kluber

Corey Kluber’s Rangers debut was a short one, when he was lifted after just one inning. The team revealed that he was removed from the game with “tightness in the back of his right shoulder.”

After Kluber left, it was all bullpen for the Rangers. They used a combination of six different relievers to finish the game. Joe Palumbo took the brunt of the Rockies offense, giving up three earned runs (the first Story homer as well as a sacrifice fly to Ryan McMahon). Nick Goody and Jose Leclerc each gave up a run apiece.

K-Free Show

Kyle Freeland had an abysmal 2019, but we all know he is capable of pitching spectacularly. In this game, he started strong but got roughed up in the second and third innings — giving up a solo homer to Joey Gallo to start off the second and allowing Nick Solak to knock in Rob Refsnyder in the third. After that, he retired nine straight Rangers before being relieved by Yency Almonte. His final line was 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Freeland pitched well in his first two starts last year before the wheels started to fall off, so hopefully the wheels stay on for the rest of his starts in 2020.

Yency Almonte also pitched lights out today. He came into the game in relief of Freeland in the seventh and pitched two innings of shutout baseball, only allowing one hit and striking out three batters.

Up Next

The Rockies have an off-day on Monday, but they will travel to Oakland for a two-game set against the Athletics on Tuesday and Wednesday. Antonio Senzatela will take the mound for the Rockies and hope to start a winning streak! First pitch is at 7:40pm MT.