Rockies-Mets Series Grades: Colorado pitching on another level

The Colorado Rockies swept the New York Mets in their own city to extend a winning streak out to five games. And they did it without getting overwhelming contributions from their best position players.

The backend of the rotation (yes these ratings exclude the top two pitchers in the Rockies rotation) were absolutely magnificent starting with the old man of the group. The young guys got it done too, as did the bullpen, and the scattered contributions from the offense proved to be just enough to deliver the sweep.

Interestingly, the Rockies would be looking at much different results if not for the production of the much-maligned Ian Desmond and Gerardo Parra.

Here are our individual player grades for the series win in New York:

Chad Bettis (A): He allowed six singles and one walk. That’s it. He only recorded two strikeouts but Bettis was in complete control, powering the Rockies to their fourth shutout of the year in seven brilliant innings. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball so far in 2018. It’s that simple.

Kyle Freeland (A-): Out of context, the final line is more like a “B+” effort but understanding that the Mets scored two runs in the first four batters of the game and then never again bumps it up a level of impressiveness in my mind. One of the gutsiest outings of the year, Freeland went seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits, striking out eight and walking one.

German Marquez (B+): It’s crazy to think that Marquez’ six-inning, two-run performance—featuring eight strikeouts—was actually one of the more pedestrian starts for the Rockies on the road trip. These guys are on a roll.

Adam Ottavino (A): Otto picked up two innings, getting his first save since 2016 in the final game of the set, striking out four batters and allowing just two baserunners on a single and a walk. He is reaching historic levels of production. More on that soon.

Wade Davis (B+): The Rockies closer had a scary one in the opening game, giving up an inherited run and one of his own on a couple of hits and a walk. He allowed the tying run to reach third and the winning run to reach base, but he shut it down to keep from blowing his second save of the year. His inning the next night was far less adventurous. So far, Colorado has won every game Davis has appeared in.

Ian Desmond (A-): Desmond was the offensive MVP of the series, going 4-for-13 with a pair of home runs, a double, and three RBI. His two-homer game in the finale delivered the sweep.

Gerardo Parra (A-): Parra went 4-for-8 (.500) with a double, a run scored, a key RBI, and two walks. He was instrumental in winning the final game against Noah Syndergaard and helped spark the rally in the first inning that saw Colorado put up five runs in one frame.

Charlie Blackmon (B): Going 4-for-12 (.333) with a couple of walks and a home run, Blackmon was pretty much his normal self.

David Dahl (B): Making the most of his seven at-bats, Dahl delivered three hits including a pressure single with the bases loaded late, helping to secure a 2-0 victory. His base hit and stolen base against Noah Syndergaard played an important part of the key inning that swung the game in the Rockies favor.

Nolan Arenado (C+): Arenado went 3-for-11 (.272) with a pair of walks, a pair of RBI, three runs scored and a homer. Not his usual offensive domination but the home run in Game 2 would turn out to be all the scoring his team would need.

Tony Wolters (C-): The Rockies backup catcher only got one hit in the series, though it was a big one considering it was his first home run of the season and came in what ended up being a one-run game. But his 1-for-11 really doesn’t tell the whole story as he deserves a ton of credit for the insane run that the Rockies pitching staff is currently on. He also gets bonus points for his first stolen base and a memorable slide into second.

Carlos Gonzalez (D-): CarGo went 0-for-7 still shaking off the rust from his DL stint. He did draw a couple of walks and get an RBI on a sac fly.