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If anyone before Saturday night's game at Coors Field would have told you that Colorado Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano would outduel Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes, then someone might have questioned your sanity a bit.
Yet, that's what happened as the Rockies held on for dear life to beat the Pirates 2-1 in one of the wildest finishes any baseball fan will see this season.
Before breaking down Sugano's and Skenes' starts, let's closely look at the top of the ninth inning. It was wild, it was crazy, and it ended in an unbelievable way.
And yes, there's plenty to talk about when it comes to Jake McCarthy. But, the ninth inning deserves some space.
Rockies reliever Brennan Bernardino gave up a leadoff double to Pittsburgh's Brandon Lowe. Bryan Reynolds then followed with a single, and Lowe moved up to third base. Reynolds came out for pinch-runner Billy Cook. Bernardino struck out the Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn to get the first out in the ninth.
At that point, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer decided to bring in reliever Jaden Hill to, hopefully, get the final two outs. Hill's first pitch clipped Pittsburgh's Nick Gonzales, putting him on first base and Cook moved on up to second. So, the Pirates now had the bases loaded with one out.
Hill then struck out Tyler Callihan, putting Colorado one out closer to a victory. This is where things get a bit goofy.
On a 1-2 pitch, the Pirates' Jake Mangum grounded into a forceout to Kyle Karros at third base. Karros, though, never got a throw off to second base as it appeared that Cook interfered in Karros making a throw. Cook apparently clipped Karros' leg and threw him off-balance.
Initially, the Rockies' television crew said that the game was tied.
Immediately, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer came out to challenge the call on the field. The game's umpiring crew also came together. Schaeffer was arguing that Karros' lane to throw to second base was impeded by Cook.
Upon review, it was ruled that Cook was out due to baserunner interference. The Rockies then got into a victory line to celebrate. Hill earned his second save this season.
Pirates manager Don Kelly was in no mood to hear that call, and he came out to give the umpires a piece of his mind.
See, you never know what you will see at an MLB game.
Now, what about Sugano and Skenes going at it in front of a good crowd at Coors Field.
Sugano got the win and goes to 8-4 with a 4.31 ERA. He went six innings, gave up four hits, one earned run, didn't walk a batter, and struck out five. Sugano also gave up a home run.
Skenes took a tough loss, falling to 6-7 this season. He gave up four hits, two earned runs, walked two, struck out eight, and also gave up a home run. But his home run came on Rockies' leadoff hitter Jake McCarthy speeding around the bases for an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the first inning.
McCarthy hit a line shot to just about straightaway center field. Center fielder Jake Mangum tried to make a diving catch and cut the ball off. Fortunately for the Rockies, that didn't happen and the ball rolled all the way to the center-field wall.
As McCarthy motored around second base to third base, he threw off his helmet and motored as hard as he could. He slid safely into home plate and Colorado tied the game at 1-1 after Pittsburgh had picked up a first-inning run. Spencer Horwitz hit his 10th home run this season, a blast off of Sugano, in the top of the first for Pittsburgh.
In the bottom of the second inning, Rockies center fielder Cole Carrigg had a teaching moment, but it was in front of a lot of fans in the park. Carrigg led off the inning with a double and reached second base safely. There were no outs, so he was in a spot to potentially add another run.
Colorado's Edouard Julien flew out to center field for the first out. Carrigg, as cameras caught him on the basepaths, took a lead off second base, but wandered too far off the base. Ideally, he should have been in position to tag up at second and move to third.
Then, apparently trying to make up for his mistake, Carrigg broke to steal third base. As he was running, though, Carrigg stumbled. Skenes noticed and threw to second base, where Carrigg was eventually tagged out as he was caught in a rundown.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Rockies' TJ Rumfield stayed hot, singling to right field and McCarthy scored. Colorado went up 2-1 at that point.
For the next six innings, the Pirates and Rockies didn't score a run. Well, some Pirates fans might think the umpires got the call wrong at the end of Saturday night's game. One has to wonder how Kelly will bide his tongue while commenting on the end there, too.
With Saturday night's victory, Colorado captured its 30th win this season. The Rockies go to 30-47 and inch closer to catching the San Francisco Giants for fourth place in the National League West Division. Pittsburgh falls to 38-39 and stays in fourth place in the National League East Division.
The Rockies will go for a series sweep on Sunday afternoon against the Pirates.
Rockies Roundtable has its own weekly podcast!
Rockies Rap, which covers the latest data, analytics, and information around the Rockies, is available now on Spotify.
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Check it out right here on Spotify.
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Yet, that's what happened as the Rockies held on for dear life to beat the Pirates 2-1 in one of the wildest finishes any baseball fan will see this season.
Before breaking down Sugano's and Skenes' starts, let's closely look at the top of the ninth inning. It was wild, it was crazy, and it ended in an unbelievable way.
And yes, there's plenty to talk about when it comes to Jake McCarthy. But, the ninth inning deserves some space.
Rockies reliever Brennan Bernardino gave up a leadoff double to Pittsburgh's Brandon Lowe. Bryan Reynolds then followed with a single, and Lowe moved up to third base. Reynolds came out for pinch-runner Billy Cook. Bernardino struck out the Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn to get the first out in the ninth.
At that point, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer decided to bring in reliever Jaden Hill to, hopefully, get the final two outs. Hill's first pitch clipped Pittsburgh's Nick Gonzales, putting him on first base and Cook moved on up to second. So, the Pirates now had the bases loaded with one out.
Hill then struck out Tyler Callihan, putting Colorado one out closer to a victory. This is where things get a bit goofy.
On a 1-2 pitch, the Pirates' Jake Mangum grounded into a forceout to Kyle Karros at third base. Karros, though, never got a throw off to second base as it appeared that Cook interfered in Karros making a throw. Cook apparently clipped Karros' leg and threw him off-balance.
Initially, the Rockies' television crew said that the game was tied.
Immediately, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer came out to challenge the call on the field. The game's umpiring crew also came together. Schaeffer was arguing that Karros' lane to throw to second base was impeded by Cook.
Upon review, it was ruled that Cook was out due to baserunner interference. The Rockies then got into a victory line to celebrate. Hill earned his second save this season.
Pirates manager Don Kelly was in no mood to hear that call, and he came out to give the umpires a piece of his mind.
See, you never know what you will see at an MLB game.
Now, what about Sugano and Skenes going at it in front of a good crowd at Coors Field.
Sugano got the win and goes to 8-4 with a 4.31 ERA. He went six innings, gave up four hits, one earned run, didn't walk a batter, and struck out five. Sugano also gave up a home run.
Skenes took a tough loss, falling to 6-7 this season. He gave up four hits, two earned runs, walked two, struck out eight, and also gave up a home run. But his home run came on Rockies' leadoff hitter Jake McCarthy speeding around the bases for an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the first inning.
McCarthy hit a line shot to just about straightaway center field. Center fielder Jake Mangum tried to make a diving catch and cut the ball off. Fortunately for the Rockies, that didn't happen and the ball rolled all the way to the center-field wall.
As McCarthy motored around second base to third base, he threw off his helmet and motored as hard as he could. He slid safely into home plate and Colorado tied the game at 1-1 after Pittsburgh had picked up a first-inning run. Spencer Horwitz hit his 10th home run this season, a blast off of Sugano, in the top of the first for Pittsburgh.
Teaching Moment for Cole Carrigg
In the bottom of the second inning, Rockies center fielder Cole Carrigg had a teaching moment, but it was in front of a lot of fans in the park. Carrigg led off the inning with a double and reached second base safely. There were no outs, so he was in a spot to potentially add another run.
Colorado's Edouard Julien flew out to center field for the first out. Carrigg, as cameras caught him on the basepaths, took a lead off second base, but wandered too far off the base. Ideally, he should have been in position to tag up at second and move to third.
Then, apparently trying to make up for his mistake, Carrigg broke to steal third base. As he was running, though, Carrigg stumbled. Skenes noticed and threw to second base, where Carrigg was eventually tagged out as he was caught in a rundown.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Rockies' TJ Rumfield stayed hot, singling to right field and McCarthy scored. Colorado went up 2-1 at that point.
For the next six innings, the Pirates and Rockies didn't score a run. Well, some Pirates fans might think the umpires got the call wrong at the end of Saturday night's game. One has to wonder how Kelly will bide his tongue while commenting on the end there, too.
With Saturday night's victory, Colorado captured its 30th win this season. The Rockies go to 30-47 and inch closer to catching the San Francisco Giants for fourth place in the National League West Division. Pittsburgh falls to 38-39 and stays in fourth place in the National League East Division.
The Rockies will go for a series sweep on Sunday afternoon against the Pirates.
Rockies Rap
Rockies Roundtable has its own weekly podcast!
Rockies Rap, which covers the latest data, analytics, and information around the Rockies, is available now on Spotify.
Like and subscribe to Rockies Rap.
Check it out right here on Spotify.
Continue reading...
