Mark Reynolds late heroics lift Rockies to biggest win of 2017

Tyler Anderson had a rough night in the desert, giving up three big home runs and struggling with his command all game but Mark Reynolds‘ big night, including his ninth inning heroics lifted the Rockies to arguably their biggest win, and first big comeback win, of 2017.

The Colorado Rockies lefty gave up a pair of monster shots in the second to Brandon Drury and Jeff Mathis. Mathis had been 0-for-27 before he walloped the second no-doubter of the inning to make it 2-0, Arizona.

The Rockies got a run back on Trevor Story‘s 6th home run of the season, an absolute missile over the center field fence. Story now has seven home runs (of 10 hits) in eight games in Arizona and three home runs in 11 career at-bats against Greinke.

The Diamondbacks got another pair of runs in the third on a double from Yasmany Tomas, scoring Chris Owings who had singled and Jake Lamb who was hit by a pitch.

Then Colorado loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn’t score. Nolan Arenado hit the 150th double of his career and Carlos Gonzalez followed with a walk. Mark Reynolds flew out to right moving up Arenado, but Gerardo Parra struck out with the runner at third to give Arizona two outs in the inning. After Greinke unintentionally intentionally walked Story, Tony Wolters popped out to left field to end the scoring threat without the Rockies putting a run on the board.

Anderson got his only 1-2-3 inning in the fourth before giving up yet another pair of runs on yet another long home run, this time a shot from Lamb that traveled a ridiculous 481 feet. That’s the longest home run in baseball this year and the eighth-longest in the history of Chase Field.

Lamb has really …. chopped … the Rockies in his career. (I’m so sorry.) His blast made it 6-1, Arizona.

Anderson’s final line was ugly: 5 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 HR. His ERA on the season is even uglier at 7.71.

Mark Reynolds brought the Rockies to within four on a solo home run to left with a broken bat smash (what strength!) taking the team lead in homers at eight.

Alexi Amarista made it 6-3 with a pinch-hit HR in the seventh to snap his streak of 251 at-bats without a home run. His last was in August of 2015 at the Miami Marlins. It was even more remarkable that it was an opposite field shot, though probably not surprising that it barely cleared the wall in left.

Charlie Blackmon followed with his second base hit of the game (he is still hot) and scored on a DJ LeMahieu double to make it 6-4. But all-time Rockies wins and strikeouts leader Jorge De La Rose came in to bail Arizona out of the seventh getting Gonzalez to fly out to deep right field and inducing a double play from Reynolds. The Rockies went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Off the bat, it looked like CarGo’s shot might get out of the park and put the Rockies up a run, but he just missed it.

The theatrics in the ninth began with a pinch-hit single from Pat Valaika and a walk from LeMahieu. Arenado ground out and Cargo was intentionally walked loading the bases for Reynolds. It was an interesting choice considering Reynolds had already displayed absurd power in this game and has arguably been the Rockies MVP in 2017.

Well, he did it again, delivering maybe the biggest hit of the season for his club, pulling a hard single through the left side, scoring two and tying the game at six. Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney was clearly shaken and uncorked a pair of wild pitches allowing CarGo to score the third run of the inning and put the Rockies up 7-6.

What makes Reynolds heroics even more amazing is that it’s seeming more and more likely that Ian Desmond (the guy the Rockies paid $70 million to replace Reynolds) will be returning to the team tomorrow. Of course, he is rumored to be returning in left field and not at first base. And this is why.

Chad Qualls, Jake McGee, and Carlos Estevez each pitched clean innings in what looked like a losing effort at the time.

Greg Holland came on to close, his team suddenly carrying a lead into the bottom of the ninth, and gave up a lead-off single to David Peralta. Peralta moved to second on a wild pitch and it looked like Chris Owings had hit a single to left to tie it but Gerardo Parra made a spectacular diving catch to save the game. Parra struck out four times in the contest, but that play alone made up for it.

Holland faced down Paul Goldschmidt for the final out and got the punchout looking on a nasty slider to secure his 11th save in 11 opportunities.

It’s hard to say that any win in April is big, but this was the first time the Rockies pulled out a victory when all seemed lost. They also happened to do it with first place in the NL West on the line and bailed out a second-year pitcher who is struggling to find himself right now.