Key mistakes cost Rockies second game in New York

After setting the perfect tone in the start of their series against the New York Mets, the Colorado Rockies fell victim to their main foe; making mistakes at the wrong times and failing to come through with the big hit.

Starter Jon Gray wasn’t great but he wasn’t terrible, giving up four runs in 5.2 innings but the bats couldn’t come up with the big hit against Steven Matz and the series evened.

Gray appeared to lose the feel for his command in the second inning, plunking Todd Frazier and leaving a pitch right in the “whack me” zone to Carlos Gomez who blasted it to center. Ian Desmond was almost able to haul it in with a leaping catch but came up just short as the Mets took a 2-0 lead.

Colorado immediately counterpunched.

Tony Wolters led off the top of the third with a hard-fought walk and advanced to second on a successful sac bunt from Gray. Charlie Blackmon, in his first game back from a calf injury, knocked Wolters in with a line drive single to left. Trevor Story backed that up with another single but the Rockies caught a bad break when a David Dahl bouncer fell out in front of home plate, allowing the Mets to get the lead runner.

But, with two outs and runners at first and second, Nolan Arenado came through with a single to right, tying the ballgame at two runs apiece.

The Mets answered though. Michael Conforto drew a two-out walk and Frazier and Ramos came through with a pair of singled to put New York back on top.

Once again, the Rockies hit back.

Brendan Rodgers lined a one-out single to right and was able to come all the way around and score when a Wolters’ single was thrown wildly twice by the Mets. Story popped out with two aboard and the Rockies missed a chance to take the lead.

Gray struck out the side in the fifth but the Mets were able to get to him once more and drive him from the game in the sixth.

Ramos began things with what was ruled a double on a flare to shallow right that Blackmon attempted to field on a slide. But the ball skipped away from him and Ramos cruised into second base. Frazier singled to left to put runners at the corners and the extra base on the misplay really came back to haunt when Gray got Amed Rosario to ground into a double play.

It scored a run to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

After Gray gave up a single to Gomez and a double to J.D. Davis, Bud Black decided he had seen enough and went to lefty Jake McGee to face lefty Jeff McNeil who he retired to end the inning.

The Rockies couldn’t mount anything in the seventh and Peter Alonso opened the bottom half by hitting his 21st home run of the season. The liner to left against McGee just barely cleared the wall in left, narrowly out of the reach of a jumping David Dahl.

With Colorado unable to get anything going late, that made the final a 5-3 win for New York.

Colorado fell to 33-30.

What’s Next

The Rockies will try to win the series in an afternoon affair that sees them at a heavy disadvantage in the pitching matchup department. They will send Jeff Hoffman to the hill, still searching for his footing in MLB. The Mets counter with Noah Syndergaard who brings a 4.83 ERA into the game despite his insane strikeout total. First pitch at 11:10 Mountain Time.