Having just been swept in Pittsburgh, the Colorado Rockies were ready for both a change of scenery and to get back on track. Facing the Houston Astros and Hunter Brown seemed an unlikely combination to make that happen.
But these young Rockies are nothing if not unpredictable, and although their game was not Flawless, it was good enough for a 6-1 win.
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The Rockies offense: Houston, [You’ve] Got a Problem
The offensive side of the game was a true group effort though it took a couple of innings for the Rockies offense to get warmed up. Still, when the dust settled, Hunter Brown was unable to contain a young Rockies team.
The Astros got on the board first when Jesús Sánchez hit a Tanner Gordon four-seamer over the right field wall.
E2 score: 1-0 Houston
Then the Rockies got a break in the third after a Kyle Karros single followed by a fielder’s choice and an error on Jeremy Peña got Ryan Ritter to first and moved Karros to third. Tyler Freeman grounded out to score Karros and tie things up.
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Following that, Mickey Moniak singled and brought home Ritter, giving the Rockies a 2-1 lead.
And then Hunter Goodman did what he does best — “Hunter on Hunter crime” to quote Ryan Spilborghs — and hit his 26th home run.
FWIW, all four runs were unearned with the score 4-1 Rockies.
E3 score: 4-1 Rockies
Let’s take a moment to appreciate one of several defensive gems.
Mauricio Dubón looked to have a double under his belt in the fourth until a gorgeous throw from Jordan Beck to Ryan Ritter mowed him down.
Also, the Rockies offense was not done yet in the fifth inning.
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Karros started with a leadoff single followed by a Ritter hit-by-pitch. And then Mickey Moniak crafted an artistic at-bat that resulted in a double to score Karros and Ritter.
E5 score: 6-1 Rockies
Hunter Brown stayed in the game until getting two outs in the seventh. He finished the evening with 6.2 innings pitched, surrendering six runs (only two earned) on six hits. He did not issue any walks and struck out seven.
The Rockies did not score after the fifth inning. They finished the evening with six runs (all earned) on six hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts. They were three for six with runners in scoring position, leaving two on base.
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They also snapped an 11-game losing streak in Houston.
Tanner Gordon: I Been On
In his start tonight, Tanner Gordon continued to impress.
He had a promising 20-pitch first inning that found the Astros leaving two runners on base.
By the end of the second inning, however, he was one run down and at 44 pitches.
But then his changeup started working, which led to a crisp third inning that put him back on track as the Astros struggling to connect.
Despite the shaky start, Gordon earned a quality start, going six innings on 93 pitches. He surrendered one run (earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out five, finishing the evening with a 6.44 ERA. (Over his last three starts, he has a 2.65 ERA.)
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With that win, Gordon becomes the first Rockies pitcher this season to win three consecutive starts.
“Good stuff from him,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said, “all pitches working.”
The bullpen: Heaven, Hell or Houston
Once again, the bullpen got the job done.
The seventh inning fell to Jimmy Herget. Although he walked Peña, Herget got out of the inning without allowing any runs or hits.
Luis Peralta handled the eighth, which was shaky, but some stellar outfield defense by Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck kept the inning scoreless.
Both Schaeffer and Gordon complemented the outfield defense.
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Coming in to close was Juan Mejia. He walked two — which wasn’t awesome — but got three outs and sealed the Rockies’ win.
“Our bullpen’s been good for a long time,” Shaeffer said, “and they did a good job tonight.”
Houston Means I’m One Day Closer to You
The Rockies move to 38-94 while the Astros are 72-60.
Join us tomorrow at 6:10 pm for Game 2 when Chase Dollander will face Framber Valdez.
See you then.
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