Denver – Lefties loomed large and in charge at Coors Field as two former Colorado Rockies first round picks dueled in the Rockies 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres. Tyler Anderson made his MLB debut against Christian Friedrich and it was a pitcher’s contest. Neither allowed an earned run until the seventh and on this hot day which could’ve shaped up to be a Coors classic, instead it was a defensive battle.

Anderson was fantastic in his debut, using an effective change-up/slider/cutter combination to keep Padres hitters off balance all day. He allowed two hits in the first but mostly cruised after that on his way to a six-and-one-third innings, six hit, one earned run, phenomenal day. He struck out six without walking a batter.

Ryan Raburn broke the stalemate in the bottom of the sixth, drawing a walk with the bases loaded.

The Padres were able to scratch out their first run in the seventh on a two-out single from Jon Jay. The run was charged to Anderson but the hit was surrendered by Gonzalez Germen who has allowed three out of the seven baserunners he has inherited this season to score.

The game was only tied until the Rockies first batter came up in the bottom of the seventh. Mark Reynolds launched his fourth home run of the season over the right-field fence, putting the Rockies up 2-1.

“Talk about a tough assignment coming in and pitching like that, that’s big time stuff,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He didn’t walk a guy kept it down in the zone, his changeup was a difference maker. He had all of his weapons working great command, what-a-debut.”

Anderson has had an up-and-down road to the big leagues but finally made it.

“We thought highly of this kid for a long time the way he handles himself,” Weiss explained. “He thinks at a different level, he always has, and he prepares at a different level. All that stuff has payed off.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

Tyler Anderson

The 2014 Texas League Pitcher of The Year, who missed all of 2015 finally got to the bigs as a 26-year-old. The Oregon product showed he belonged.

Quotes:

“It’s unbelievable,” Anderson told. “It took a long time to get here, it is that much more enjoyable”

“Spring Training it got dark real quick,” Anderson said of his long road. “Because I was excited and feeling good then another thing, and I didn’t know when it was going to go away. I’m just happy to be back.”

“In my dreams I always had I never really got past my first pitch so I don’t know,” the starter said of his dreams of this day. “Getting there was the hardest part… Coming off and seeing all the fans here today, time sopped for a second.”

“I could hear my family if I was back in vegas today,” Anderson said of his 14 family members in attendance.

BY THE NUMBERS:

.500 – The Rockies are three games under the even water mark.

9 – Friedrich fanned nine Rockies in his return to Coors.

3 – Boone Logan’s 3rd career save, and first as a Rockies as he splits the job with Carlos Esteves and Jason Motte for now.

WHAT’S AHEAD:

The Yankees come to town for a highly anticipated set on Tuesday. Jorge De La Rosa will get the ball to face off against Nathan Eovaldi at 6:40. Wednesday’s game will be in the afternoon at 1:10 and Chad Bettis will take the hill against Ivan Nova.