Rockies lose heartbreaker to Reds

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies got the key hit multiple times throughout the game, but they couldn’t get it in the ninth, ultimately falling to the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 – in no small part to another rough night for the bullpen.

It was a back-and-forth affair that saw four lead changes and it was almost five but the inability to convert the final one meant a tough loss for the home team.

Anderson surrendered a solo home run to Scooter Gennett in the first to put the Reds on top early.

After missing out on an opportunity in the second that saw the first two batters reach base but no runs scored, the Rockies took the lead in the third on a line drive two-RBI double off the bat of David Dahl. Chris Iannetta and Charlie Blackmon, who both walked in the inning, scored on the play.

The lead only lasted two batters as Anderson committed the cardinal sin of walking the leadoff batter in the next inning then gave up a 449-foot blast to Tony Cruz, the eight-hole hitter in the Reds lineup who is batting .167.

Colorado kept the see-saw going in the fifth, getting a single from Iannetta who scored on a Blackmon triple in the gap. They took the lead on a sac fly from Dahl.

But in the seventh, the recent bullpen struggles reared their ugly head once more as both Chris Rusin and Bryan Shaw contributed to swinging the game back in the Reds favor. Pinch-hitter Scott Schebler managed a single through the hole on the left side against Rusin, but after working into a full count against the light-hitting (but often Rockies-killing) Billy Hamilton he grooved one that was blistered into the gap for an easy a triple. With his speed, it was almost an inside-the-park home run.

Shaw came into the now-tied game with the fastest player in the game at third base and nobody out. The chances he kept it tied were slim but he still showed more of the issues we have seen out of his last couple of starts, giving up singles to Jose Peraza and Gennett, before uncorking a wild pitch to give the Reds a sudden 6-4 advantage.

The Rockies pulled to within one in the eighth thanks to an opposite-field double from Arenado who moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout from Gerardo Parra.

Ryan McMahon, in his first game back from Triple-A, began the ninth with a swinging bunt that turned into the Rockies third infield hit in the game. Iannetta followed with a double down the left-field line and then a pinch-hitting Carlos Gonzalez was walked on four pitches to load the bases with nobody out.

But Blackmon hit a grounder to first base on the first pitch he saw, the Reds converting the out at home after a slight bobble from the catcher. Then Dahl looked like he had won the game for Colorado, hammering a hard line drive up the middle, but a diving catch from Gennett who doubled off the runner at second ended the game in extremely frustrating fashion for the Rockies.

Final Stats:

Tyler Anderson: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Chris Rusin: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER

Bryan Shaw: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER

Jake McGee: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 K

What’s Next:

The final game of the series takes place Sunday afternoon in a showdown between German Marquez and the newly-acquired Matt Harvey. First pitch at 1:10 Mountain Time.