Arenado bangs, Senza dazzles, Rockies roll

It was a special day for Colorado Rockies starting pitcher who was making his MLB debut against the Milwaukee Brewers at 22-years-old. There were reasons beyond baseball why it was an emotional day, but the young man quickly got his heartbeat in check and went on to pitch a gem … for his mother.

Antonio Senzatela got into a spot of trouble right away when a single, a double, and a walk loaded the bases with one out in the first. But the rookie got the groundball he was looking for, inducing an inning-ending double play and keeping the game scoreless. It was the best chance the Brewers would have against him all game.

The Rockies got on the board in the third with a solo home run from Mark Reynolds. Reynolds has hit the first two home runs for the Rox in 2017 and has already driven in six runs which is fascinating considering the club went out and spent $70 million on his replacement, Ian Desmond, this offseason. Still, Reynolds decided to rejoin the team, who clearly needed a backup at first, and both parties are reaping the benefits early.

Reynolds also turned a nifty 3-6-3 double play in the sixth, proving his value with the glove in addition to being the team’s primary offensive weapon at the moment. And nearly their only offensive weapon in this game. He performed an even more spectacular defensive feat with a diving catch in the seventh. He was, again, the Rockies best position player in the game.

Ultimately, it was Senzatela’s day.

His final line: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K. Not bad for a 22-year-old rookie in his debut. He became the sixth-youngest player in franchise history to make a start. And what a start it was.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis tied the game in the bottom of the seventh off Adam Ottavino when he got on top of a high fastball and drove a solo home run over the right field fence after a 10-pitch at-bat. This meant that Senzatela would get a no-decision.

Mike Dunn had another nice outing, though allowed two base runners in 1.1 innings. His ERA remains at zero, though.

Crunch time is Nolan Arenado’s time. The Rockies star, and incredibly clutch, third baseman took a high fastball from Brewers closer Neftali Feliz — on a two-strike count — over the left-centerfield fence to give his squad a 2-1 lead.

Greg Holland came on in the bottom of the ninth and struck out the first two he faced in dominant fashion. Ryan Braun put a scare into the Rockies for a moment with a deep drive to right, but it fell harmlessly into Carlos Gonzalez‘ glove and Holland got his third save, the Rockies won their third game, their first series, and their first road series of 2017.