DENVER – If the Colorado Rockies are going to achieve the kind of success in 2018 that they’ve been talking about all spring, there will need to be more low-scoring victories than their fans may be accustomed to; exactly the type of game they played in a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves Saturday night.
Great pitching. Phenomenal defense. And timely hitting. This is the formula.
Chad Bettis was described before the game by manager Bud Black as the most consistent pitcher in his rotation and he showed exactly that in his second outing, becoming the only starter to put together two solid performances to begin the season.
Bettis didn’t have the command issues he showed in San Diego and was able to pitch to his own strengths, allowing just two extra-base hits in the game; one to the first hitter he faced and one to the last.
Nolan Arenado did his getting-a-base-hit-with-runners-on-base routine in the third, singling to center, scoring Charlie Blackmon who had walked and moved up on a DJ LeMahieu single.
Trevor Story added a second run for Colorado in the bottom of the fourth, smashing his second home run in as many games, 404 feet over the fence in left field.
The Rockies had a chance to score for the third straight inning, once again on a single from Arenado. But LeMahieu was held at third base on the hit to left field and would end up stranded there after strikeouts from Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Desmond.
Atlanta was finally able to get to Bettis in the sixth, getting a lead-off walk from Lane Adams, which almost always spells trouble. Bettis got Ender Inciarte to fly out to center then got some help from a gorgeous play by Tony Wolters to snuff out a perfectly placed bunt by Ozzie Albies.
That out ended up being a key one when Freddie Freeman doubled into the left-center-field gap in the following at-bat; a play that would have otherwise tied the game. That would be the end of the night for Bettis who gave way to Mike Dunn.
Dunn was careful with Nick Markakis, issuing him a free pass, then went right after Preston Tucker for the final out in the inning, preserving the narrow lead.
The shiny and expensive new bullpen got their biggest test so far this season, being asked to protect a one-run lead over the final 3.1 frames.
Bryan Shaw came on in the seventh and gave up a single to Ryan Flaherty but immediately induced the inning-ending double play.
Jake McGee had to work around a broken-bat infield hit from Albies on a play where Arenado almost created an out from thin air but failed to complete it while dodging the shrapnel. With the tying run at first and one of the best hitters in the game at the plate, McGee fell behind Freeman 2-0 but came back with some excellently located fastballs to get the easy fly out to shallow left.
Wade Davis came on in the ninth and got a quick out but began to struggle with his command. He walked pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki and for a moment looked like he might have gotten his game-ending double play, but Story was playing up the middle and the ball scooted past him in the 6-hole.
Still a double play away from ending it, Ryan Flaherty came through with a line drive single to center, scoring pinch-runner Peter Bourjous and tying the game. Davis, though he had blown the save, refused to give in, inducing a pop our from Carlos Perez and striking out Adams to keep it a 2-2 game.
The Rockies couldn’t have had a much more promising start to the bottom the ninth, getting a bunt single (featuring an all-out headfirst slide) from Wolters and a pinch-hit walk from Chris Iannetta. Blackmon was asked to bunt the runners over and popped it up to third base. LeMahieu then hit a screaming line drive that looked destined to be a game-winner but Albies made a tremendous diving catch and doubled off Wolters to momentarily save the game for the Braves.
Adam Ottavino was therefore needed in the top of the 10th and after a quick strikeout, he plunked Albies on a pitch he nearly swung at. A deep out to left from Freeman put a scare into the Colorado faithful and the Rockies needed their own game-saving catch on a line drive off the bat of Markakis; and Story made one of his best plays of the year.
It turned out to be Wolter’s day, though, coming to the plate with the bases loaded after Gerardo Parra was intentionally passed, he looked at four pitches outside of the zone and jogged to first base with the game-winning walk.
Final Stats:
Rockies:
Chad Bettis: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Mike Dunn: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER
Bryan Shaw: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
Jake McGee: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER
Wade Davis: 1 IP
Nolan Arenado: 2-for-4, RBI, 1 BB (.323)
DJ LeMahieu: 2-for-5 (.303)
Trevor Story: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (2)
Charlie Blackmon: 0-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Carlos Gonzalez: 1-for-5, 2B, 3 K
Braves:
Anibal Sanchez: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Freddie Freeman: 1-for-4, RBI
What’s Next:
The Rockies and Braves will play the rubber match on Sunday in a duel of lefties. Kyle Freeland takes on Sean Newcomb. First pitch at 1:10 Mountain Time.
