Blackmon’s walk-off single completes Rockies’ sweep of Padres
Jun 17, 2021, 6:19 AM
With the mercury at 99 degrees, the Rockies’ and Padres’ bats were equally scorching in what turned out to be an old-fashioned Coors Field shootout, complete with five home runs, 24 hits and a walk-off single to finish off the drama.
After each giving up a pair of home runs, starting pitchers Kyle Freeland and Blake Snell were both gone from the game in the fourth inning, which ended with the Rockies holding a 7-5 lead. The Padres battled all the way back to tie it in the ninth inning, aided by an ill-timed error by Brendan Rodgers, but the Rockies weren’t fazed.
“You’ve seen that out of our group that resiliency out of our group has shown up,” skipper Bud Black said. “The guys know a ballgame is never over.”
In the climactic bottom of the ninth, Trevor Story drew a walk off of Padres reliever Austin Adams, and turned up the heat by immediately stealing second base. Charlie Blackmon, who’s hit .408 over his last 14 games, entered as a pinch-hitter and promptly singled, scoring Story to win the game 8-7 and completing a three-game sweep of the World Series-contending Padres.
“We definitely don’t feel bad about it, I promise you that. Wins are tough to come by in this league,” Story said after the Rockies’ third three-game sweep of the season — all of them in Denver. “Anytime you come about them — pretty, ugly, at home or on the road — it doesn’t matter. We certainly enjoy every one of them.”
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NEXT UP: Rockies (28-41, 4th in NL West) vs. Brewers (38-30, T-1st in NL Central) | Thursday, Jun. 17 at 6:40 p.m. | COL: German Marquez (4-6, 4.60 ERA) vs. MIL: Brandon Woodruff (5-2, 1.52 ERA)
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NOTES
• Kyle Freeland was knocked out of Wednesday’s game after only 3 2/3 innings, in which he surrendered five earned runs on nine hits, including a pair of home runs. Freeland’s ERA is an ugly 9.58, but he did outlast his counterpart, Blake Snell. The Padres’ starter was battered for seven earned runs on seven hits — also allowing a pair of home runs — and was pulled from the game after 3 1/3 innings.
• Trevor Story scored the game-winning run after his second steal of the game in the ninth inning. Story went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and a pair of RBI — the first of which was the 400th of his career, placing him 13th on the Rockies’ all-time list. “It was a cool accomplishment, but on to the next,” Story said.
• Raimel Tapia’s breakout season continued with a pair of doubles in his 3-for-5 day at the plate. In his now 13-game hitting streak, Tapia’s batting .450 (27-for-60) with 12 doubles over that span. “He’s learned how to cut the bag at first properly to have a good running angle,” manager Bud Black said. “And he runs hard out of the box, thinking two all the way.”
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THE FINAL WORD
“Our confidence is really high at home. We’re playing really well at home right now, and obviously, the challenge is to recreate that on the road.” — Trevor Story. The Rockies are now 23-14 at Coors Field, but a major-league worst 5-27 away from it
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STARTING LINEUP
LF Raimel Tapia
RF Yonathan Daza
SS Trevor Story
1B C.J. Cron
2B Brendan Rodgers
3B Joshua Fuentes
CF Garrett Hampson
C Edwin Diaz
SP Kyle Freeland
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INJURY WATCH
• Jon Gray (strained right forearm) left his Jun. 4 start and was placed on the 10-day IL. A subsequent MRI showed no significant damage, manger Bud Black said that Gray would throw a bullpen session on Jun. 17.
• Chris Owings (left thumb surgery) was placed on the 60-day IL in mid-April and will likely be out until the All-Star break. He started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Jun. 14.
• Matt Adams (right elbow soreness) was injured during the Jun. 8 game and was placed on the 10-day IL on Jun. 9.
• Jordan Sheffield (torn right lat) was injured on Jun. 3 and was placed on the 10-day IL. He is expected to miss at least two months.
• Ben Bowden (strained left shoulder) was placed on the 10-day IL on May 16. He was removed from the list and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Jun. 1.
• Scott Oberg (blood clots) had surgery prior to the end of Spring Training. He was placed on the 60-day IL on Mar. 27 and his season is in doubt.
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Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar
