Game Rundown
For the fourth consecutive game, the Colorado Rockies got an excellent outing from their starting pitcher. On Monday night, Jordan Lyles was by far the best version of himself we have seen in 2016, not allowing the Cincinnati Reds a single earned run on the way to a 5-1 Rockies win.
The Rockies got on the board in the second with a little small-ball. Nolan Arenado singled, Ben Paulsen walked, and Brandon Barnes moved them over with a sac bunt. Then Christian Adames came through nicely in a situational at-bat, getting a ground ball fielder’s choice up the middle that scored Arenado. What seemed pretty innocuous at the time would hold up as the only run for another four innings.
The Reds might have scored in the fifth inning but not for a beautiful throw from Gerardo Parra and a spin tag from Arenado. Instead of a lead-off triple, and an almost certain scoring opportunity, the Reds had one out and nobody on. Lyles was able to work through the rest of the inning with ease.
The Rockies starter continued to cruise until he caught a tough break in the sixth with two outs when a Zack Cozart line drive ate up Trevor Story. Then a Jordan Pacheco double resulted in a mishandled cutoff throw — error charged to Parra — and the Reds tied the game at one when the balled kicked away from Story into foul territory.
The run wasn’t charged to Lyles, but that was a tough way to see him lose the shutout. His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB. 4 K, 78 pitches, 48 strikes. His spot was due up first the next inning, otherwise he might have pitched into the eighth with such a low pitch count.
Story put the Rockies back on top with two outs in the eighth, smashing a home run to right-center field on a pitch low in the zone. Going down and getting a pitch in a place that was becoming an obvious exploitation zone for the young hitter, Story extended his lead in the National League to 8 home runs.
Not only did Story’s blast swing the game back in the Rockies’ favor, but it also extended the inning which allowed for a Carlos Gonzalez single, an Arenado walk, and a three-run shot from Ben Paulsen. Suddenly the Rockies were up 5-1.
Chad Qualls got two and a half outs in the eighth (dropped third strike) and Boone Logan worked through the left-handed portion of the Reds lineup easily and even got Brandon Phillips, finishing out the final four outs and securing the win.
Turning Point
Paulsen’s blast off of Jumbo Diaz turned the game from a nail-biter to one the Rockies firmly controlled, even allowing Walt Weiss to preserve his best bullpen arms for the next two games of the series.
Highlights
We told you he had a cannon… pic.twitter.com/vSRRBaqRkQ
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 19, 2016
By the Numbers
25: The number of innings pitched by Colorado Rockies starters in the last four games.
13: The number of hits allowed by Colorado Rockies starters in the last four games.
2: The number of earned runs allowed by Colorado Rockies starters in the last four games.
6: The number of walks allowed by Colorado Rockies starters in the last four games.
22: The number of strikeouts tallied by Colorado Rockies starters in the last four games.
1.42: The Colorado Rockies starters’ ERA in the last four games.
Lasting Impact
The Cincinnati Reds don’t have a scary offense by any means but this game is still a huge confidence boost for Jordan Lyles, who needed one. It also keeps the Rockies pitching on a positive streak and reminds the Rockies that they can manufacture runs on the road, though of course they did open the floodgates with the long ball in the eighth.
What’s Next
Game 2 of the series tomorrow against the Reds. Jorge De La Rosa tries to keep the groove going for the Rockies against Alfredo Simon, first pitch at 5:10 MST.
