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Reynolds revenge: Rockies walk-off D-Backs in "widow-maker" finale

Jake Shapiro Avatar
June 27, 2016

 

Flesch-Law-Recap-

DENVER – In the conclusion of a four-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks that was “crazy,” the Colorado Rockies walked off winners. The game featured, two potential All-Stars getting hurt, four lead changes, four home runs, 26 hits, one hero and final score of 9-7 Rockies.

“That was my first career walk-off so it was probably the timeliest one I’ve hit,” the day’s hero Mark Reynolds told of his two-run game-clinching blast.

The former Diamondback and the current Rockies first baseman put the game on ice, therefore he deserved the ice shower postgame. Yet for Reynolds who told BSN Denver earlier in the day, “normally home runs come in bunches… I’ve just stuck with my approach and everyone keeps telling me that the home runs will come and they’ve come.”

Reynolds’ eighth on the year and fourth of the past week was the hit that put the Rox ahead of their division rival D-Backs. For the veteran first baseman, it wasn’t about having his first career walk-off slam come against his former team, it was more key that the Rockies got the rubber game of the set.

“It was so long ago that I got traded that I almost forgot that I played for them,” Reynolds said. “It was more satisfying to get a win after the first two games of the series.”

Chad Bettis appreciated the offensive surge as he was left off the hook for the seven runs he allowed. Bettis, who was one of, if not the best Rockies starter in 2015 now has a 5.84 ERA and has struggled mightily.

“It has to be better than that,” Bettis explained. “I knew going into the game that the bullpen was hurting a bit, for me going five innings today was unacceptable… You don’t ever want to go out there and give up seven but it’s nice to get the run support.”

The Rockies couldn’t piece together innings with their bullpen today with it being taxed to the max the past few days. Four relievers worked today, not allowing a single run, but had the game gone to extras Colorado was in trouble.

Not only were they almost out of available arms but backup catcher Tony Wolters came in to pinch hit as the last man off the bench in the ninth and Trevor Story was unable to play the field after getting hit by a pitch in that inning. Wolters would’ve been forced to play middle infield and the club would have been out of position players. This made Reynolds clincher even more clutch. But Bettis wasn’t the only pitcher on either side that had problems this series as 109 hits were tallied between the two clubs.

“Crazy is the right word,” Manager Walt Weiss said. “We call a series like that the widow-maker with four games like that. All four games could have gone either way, you could’ve seen four-game sweep by either team, it ends up going 2-2, rightfully so because all four could have gone either way.”

NOTES:

DJ LeMahieu left the game early with a left knee contusion

“I think it’ll be fine,” LeMahieu said while wearing a brace after the game. They think it is just a bruise, I’ll get an MRI tomorrow… It’s just sore, and weak right now.”

Trevor Story got hit by a pitch in the ninth inning 

“Hit me right on the finger,” Story described. “Right middle finger, everything is okay just bruised really bad… hard to move a bit, very swollen.”

Carlos Gonzalez hit a fifth inning grand slam that briefly gave the Rockies a lead

Charlie Blackmon has homered in five of  his last seven games

Nolan Arenado extended his hitting streak to nine

HIGHLIGHTS:

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

Paul Goldschmidt

He’s unbelievable and he might be the only player in the National League better than Colorado’s Arenado. On the day “Goldy,” went 2-5 with a triple and four RBI.

BY THE NUMBERS:

19 – Story hit his 19 HR in his 72 MLB game this season, he had 20 HR in 130 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year.

109 – That’s how many hits there were in this four g-ame set.

440 – Blackmon, Gonzalez, Story, and Reynolds’ home runs all traveled more than 440 feet.

WHAT’S AHEAD:

The Rockies face the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game set that starts on Monday. Jon Gray will take the hill for Colorado as he’ll face Marco Estrada. The bigger story is that Troy Tulowitzki will make his return to Coors Field for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent the shortstop to the American League.

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