In a battle of the immovable object versus the unstoppable force, the Chicago Cubs, losers of a franchise record 13 straight games at home, welcomed the Colorado Rockies and their MLB-worst 14 road wins. Ultimately the Cubs prevailed, winning 6-4 on a walk-off home run from Rafael Ortega.
Senzatela solid again
Continuing a recent trend, Antonio Senzatela threw well but the rest of the Rockies weren’t able to close it out. He allowed one run on four hits over six innings, while striking out six and walking two. This was his third straight quality start, but also his tenth straight winless start. While the Rockies gave him some early run support, they were not able to back it up in the end.
Antonio Senzatela's 6 strikeouts pic.twitter.com/qStYZ4IS7t
— RoxGifsVids (@RoxGifsVids) August 24, 2021
Rockies get to Hendricks early
The Rockies offense started the game on the right foot, with Connor Joe doubling and coming around to score on a Charlie Blackmon single. They loaded the bases later in the first when Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks hit Elias Díaz with a 1-2 pitch, and were the beneficiaries of some clutch hitting from Sam Hilliard, who brought home two more with a base knock. However, that was all they’d get, as Hilliard was thrown out to end the inning trying to stretch his single to a double.
It would take until the seventh to get to Hendricks again, when Joe drove in Garrett Hampson with a sac fly for the fourth run of the day. Hendricks was able to escape the rest of the seventh without any damage, but still left the game down 4-1.
Bullpen struggles again
Jhoulys Chacín relieved Senzatela in the seventh and looked sharp, retiring the Cubs in the order. The Chacín that came out in the eighth, however, was a different pitcher — walking the first three batters before ceding the mound to Carlos Estevez, who did his best to limit the damage but allowed three runs, tying the game for the Cubs.
Daniel Bard came out in the ninth for the Rockies, but that was when the Friendly Confines finally lived up to their namesake for the Cubs. Pinch-hitter Jason Heyward led off the inning with a ground ball single but was followed by a Matt Duffy strikeout. Rafael Ortega then took a full count pitch high in the strike zone and deposited it in the right field bleachers, allowing the Chicago faithful to witness a win for the first time since July 26th.
Up next
The Rockies will return to Wrigley tomorrow evening, looking to kick off another Cubs home losing streak. All-Star Germán Márquez (11-9, 3.80 ERA) will toe the bump for the Rockies, opposed by Justin Steele (2-2, 3.22 ERA) for the Cubs. First pitch is at 6:05 PM MDT.