Rockies finally get clutch hits, hold off Braves in 7-6 win

Right as the band was warmed up to play another rendition of “Here we go Again” the Colorado Rockies got a pair of clutch home runs from Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves to lead to a 7-6 victory.

As headlines intensified around the Rockies inability to score a significant number of runs to back up quality start after quality start from their young pitchers, it didn’t come easy but Colorado finally put a big number on the scoreboard.

The Rockies got their first run on a base hit from the man who was the hero the last time they won, Pat Valaika. After Gerardo Parra was hit by a pitch to start the inning, Jonathan Lucroy walked to put Parra in scoring position and Valaika delivered the RBI single on a groundball through the right side of the infield. Simple. Innocuous. And something that comes like an oasis in the desert for this offense.

Kyle Freeland got into some trouble in the second, letting the first two batters reach on singles but then got a patented play from the Proprietor of Primetime, Nolan Arenado:

#NadoBeingNado ? pic.twitter.com/5D7bO0aqwz

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 27, 2017

It didn’t take long for the Braves to erase that lead and take one of their own, Dansby Swanson singled on a line drive to left to lead off the third before the Braves caught their first break of the inning on a sac bunt from Sean Newcomb down the third base line. It looked for a moment like the best defender in the game might go to second base and incite a double play, but his footing was untrue, the grass giving way beneath him. He settled himself and then settled for one out. Another bit of good fortune for Atlanta struck on a soft grounder to second from Ender Inciarte that went down as an infield hit.

To cap off the run of luck, Brandon Phillips took a late swing on a well-located sinker and lined a ball just past Mark Reynolds and first and just inside the right-field foul line to score Swanson and move Inciarte to third. Freddie Freeman put together a fantastic professional at-bat against Freeland, getting the sac fly to left to make it 2-1, Braves.

DJ LeMahieu tied the game with one out in the fifth on an opposite-field solo home run. With Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado having made the two other outs in the inning, Reynolds came to the plate and worked a hard-earned walk, Parra singled up the middle, and Trevor Story ripped a gap-double to left-center to break the tie and put the Rockies on top 4-2.

Heeey Joe! pic.twitter.com/06F1U1mEk8

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 27, 2017

Atlanta mounted a two-out rally of their own in the sixth against Freeland. With Markakis at first, Ozzie Albies lined a double just out of the reach of Parra in right field. Then Swanson hit a screamer at Arenado that even he wasn’t able to handle and again because there were two outs the runner was able to move with reckless abandon, coming in to score the tying fourth run.

Blackmon and LeMahieu went back to back in the ninth to give the Rockies a three run lead.

Possible NL MVP Charlie Blackmon with a huge two-run homer in his home state to give the Rockies a 6-4 lead in the 9th (KOA call) pic.twitter.com/meL07I5L8C

— Jake Shapiro, but festive 🎁 (@Shapalicious) August 27, 2017

Greg Holland was called to close it out in the ninth. He allowed a lead off single to Albies and a two-run home run to Matt Adams to make it suddenly close. Holland has only had two appearances since July, 30 where he hasn’t allowed a baserunner in 11 games total during that span. He’s allowed multiple runs in five of those 11 contests. The struggling Colorado closer had to give way to Jake McGee who came on and induced a game-ending double play.