MEDIA CLIPS – June 4, 2018
Rockies can't hold early lead against LA Bullpen loses third consecutive game as Colorado's homestand ends with loss By Anne Rogers MLB.com Jun. 3rd, 2018
DENVER -- The Rockies' series against the Dodgers trended a certain way for all three games: Jump out to an early lead.
Lose the lead. Lose the game.That's the way it went again in the finale on Sunday, when the Dodgers won 10-7 and completed their sweep at Coors Field.
"It's three games," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "And our bullpen has faltered in three games."
Although the pitching -- posting a 10.33 ERA this series -- bears much of the blame in the Rockies' rut, the offense hasn't been much help in late innings, either, even if it has been hot in the first half of the game.
Colorado's offense jumped in the first inning when Ian Desmond rocked his 10th homer of the season, a two-run, 459- foot shot to dead center. It extended the Rockies' lead to 4-0 after Nolan Arenado brought in DJ LeMahieu on an RBI single and Trevor Story scored Charlie Blackmon on a sacrifice fly.. 3rd, 2018
The Rockies brought in two more in the 2nd when Dodgers starter Alex Wood loaded the bases, then hit Story and walked Desmond, scoring Chad Bettis and LeMahieu, respectively.. 3rd, 2018
That would be the end of Wood's day, after only two innings pitched. The Dodgers' relievers would carry the torch the rest of the game.
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Six different Dodger pitchers ultimately shut down the Rockies' bats. In the seventh inning, Arenado -- after striking out in his last two at-bats -- lined a single to right field and only scored and tied the game because of an infield error, when
Dodgers' second baseman Logan Forsythe dropped Desmond's popup. That's all that would happen for the Rockies' offense, once again failing to help out a struggling bullpen, which gave up four runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief work.. 3rd,
2018
Black replaced Bettis after 89 pitches in 5 2/3 innings when Yasiel Puig doubled. Even though Black had stretched
Saturday's pitcher German Marquez through the sixth inning to avoid turning to the bullpen, he said that at that point, he thought that Bettis had pitched enough after giving up five runs on seven hits, striking out six.
"I liked the matchup, but at the same time we had some guys down there that were fresh, so they were ready to come in,"
Black said.
Chris Rusin walked the only batter he faced before Black turned to Scott Oberg. Forsythe notched an RBI single off of
Oberg, cutting the deficit to one. Then Story overthrew first base on a routine play and two more scored, giving the
Dodgers the lead.
With the game tied 7-7 in the top of the ninth inning, Rockies closer Wade Davis struggled with location and gave up three runs. Justin Turner grounded to Davis, and instead of throwing it home, Davis opted to tag Turner out.
Then, Yasmani Grandal crushed a two-run shot to seal the deal., 2018
"When you make mistakes like that, sometimes they're hit hard and hit for extra base hits," Black said. "[Davis], like he does, competed hard. The Dodgers got him today."
The Rockies, facing Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, failed to make anything happen in the bottom of the ninth and lost their fourth straight game.
The late-inning pitching breakdown that hurt the Rockies didn't happen as early as in the past two games -- on Friday, it was in the sixth inning and Saturday, the seventh -- but once it did happen, it was over for the Rockies. Davis (0-1) threw
38 pitches in one inning and gave up three runs off of three hits.
With the loss, the Rockies drop to 1 1/2 games behind the National League West-leading Diamondbacks, and the
Dodgers are now only a game behind the Rockies. Black and his players are confident that they'll be fine. 2
"I'm not worried about us bouncing back," LeMahieu said. "I think we do a really good job of that. We didn't play great this series. We didn't have any luck, either. All the bounces went their way."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Ahead 6-1 in the top of the third, Bettis had done a decent job at shutting down the Dodgers until Max Muncy stepped to the plate. Muncy had hit a solo home run that put the Dodgers on the board in the second, so Bettis was careful with what he threw at him.
Muncy, however, grinded through 11 pitches and crushed a three-run home run that put the Dodgers within two and set them up well for their three-run sixth inning to take the lead.
"I felt like I threw the whole kitchen sink at [Muncy]," Bettis said. "The one cutter that I decided to throw just didn't end up where I wanted it to be.", 2018
SOUND SMART
Batting .282 in this homestand, Story has been solid at the plate, but even more solid at getting on base. Since May 22,
Story has reached base safely in 11 consecutive games.
IANNETTA RATTLED BUT NOT DOWN
Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta was taken out of the game in the top of the ninth inning when the ball bounced up and hit him in the quad. Even though the area around the hit went numb, he said it's just going to be sore and he would be able to play Monday if he had to.. 3rd, 2018
"I didn't want to lose the game because I couldn't move," he said. "I needed to come out and get [Tony Wolters] back there so we didn't lose the game on a wild pitch."
HE SAID IT
"You're going to go through stretches like this. It sucks. No one thinks about it like we do. It's not good, it's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world. I think over the course of the season, that stuff happens multiple times for every team. You play too many games for it not to happen. We have to stay focus on what we can control." -- Iannetta, on the team's four- game losing streak and the Dodgers' sweep
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UP NEXT
The Rockies will travel to Cincinnati for three games after taking two of three against the Reds at Coors Field on May 25-
27. In the opener, left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland (5-5, 3.43 ERA) will face Reds' right-handed pitcher Anthony
DeSclafani, who is making his first start of the regular season after being sidelined with a left oblique strain suffered before Opening Day. First pitch is set for 5:10 p.m. MT.
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Rox eyeing power bat, crafty arm in 2018 Draft By Thomas Harding MLB.com @harding_at_mlb 12:01 AM ET
DENVER -- The Rockies' price of the postseason -- a lower position in the 2018 MLB Draft -- is one Colorado is more than happy to pay. And they'll expect a solid player in the 22nd spot in the first round.
The Rockies relied on early picks to build a team that went to the postseason last year and is playing solid baseball early this year. Some difficult seasons allowed them to pick righty pitcher Jon Graythird overall in the 2013 Draft, lefty pitcher Kyle Freeland eighth in '14 and outfielder David Dahl10th in '12.
But to build successfully, the Rockies had to be solid outside the top 10. Lefty Tyler Andersonwas 20th overall in 2011, and shortstop Trevor Story came as a compensatory first-rounder, 45th overall, for example. So the pick bears watching.
The 2018 Draft will take place today through Wednesday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and
MLB.com today at 4 p.m. MT. MLB Network will broadcast the first 43 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 78 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on
Day 2, with a preview show beginning at 10:30 p.m. MT. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Day 3, beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
Go to MLB.com/Draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLB Pipeline analysts Jim Callis and
Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying.24th, 2018
Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Rockies.
In about 50 words
The Rockies' initial pick has come below the 22nd slot seven times since they began participating in the Draft in 1992, including last year -- Stillwater (Okla.) High School infielder Ryan Vilade. (Under old Collective Bargaining Agreement rules, the Rockies lost the 11th pick when they signed Ian Desmond). Right-handed pitcher Jamey Wright, 28th overall in
'93, had the most impact.
The scoop
Vice president of scouting Bill Schmidt has been running the Draft since 2000. Recent efforts under general manager Jeff
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Bridich have improved the depth of the starting pitching and outfield. The Rockies haven't felt so stocked that they can use their prospects in trades, and it would be nice to produce another star behind third baseman Nolan Arenado and center fielder Charlie Blackmon -- both second-rounders. But a solid system is in place, and the athletic ability around the diamond is improving. Expect the Rockies to hope for a power bat -- tough to get in this Draft and in that position -- or a pitcher who can miss bats.
First-round buzz
This is tough at the top of this year's Draft, much less with the 22nd pick. But according to Callis, the Rockies are spending quite a bit of time in Georgia. Callis predicted recently the club will nab righty pitcher Cole Wilcox of Ringgold
(Ga.) Heritage High School, but also has interest in switch-hitting catcher Anthony Siegler of Cartersville, Ga.
Money matters
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool.
The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
The Rockies have a pool of $7,633,900 to spend in the first 10 rounds, and their first-pick slot is valued at $2,912,300.
Shopping list
It's possible that the Rockies could bolster two spots where there is never enough -- pitching and catching. But the key for this team is positional versatility, so if a hole develops at the big league level, there are multiple choices. Speed and overall athletic ability are king.
Trend watch
The Rockies have prided themselves on avoiding trends and looking squarely at players and their individual value and
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ability. Even in the top of the Draft, where college players are often willing to sign for less than high schoolers, they have chosen the player they liked best.
Rising fast
In 2016, the Rockies zeroed in on right-handed-hitting infielder Garrett Hampson in the third round. Many of the preview ratings saw him as a possible utility infielder at the big league level. But Hampson's hitting eye and speed -- plus his above-average ability at second base and above-average fielding rangeat shortstop -- led to his being promoted recently to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Cinderella story
The Rockies have emphasized pure power in recent Drafts, but lefty Harrison Musgrave (eighth round, 2014) made a quick rise and is in the Rockies' bullpen. Entering Sunday, Musgrave had a 1.29 ERA in five appearances.. 23rd, 2018
In The Show
Arenado and Story are part of the regular infield; Chris Iannetta (a 2004 fourth-round pick) is back after time with the
Angels, Mariners and D-backs; Blackmon and Dahl are in the outfield, though Dahl is currently on the disabled list; and infielder Ryan McMahon has been up and down this season. The bullpen is the only place not homegrown -- lefty
Musgrave is the club's only Draft pick.
Rockies' recent top picks
2013 -- Jon Gray, RHP, Rockies
2014 -- Kyle Freeland, RHP, Rockies
2015 -- Brendan Rodgers, INF, Double-A Hartford
2016 -- Riley Pint, RHP, Class A Asheville
2017 -- Ryan Vilade, INF, Class A Asheville
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Gray making adjustments after recent struggles Right-hander, coaching staff pinpointing mechanical issues; Black comments on bullpen's issues By Thomas Harding and Anne Rogers MLB.com @harding_at_mlb Jun. 3rd, 2018
DENVER -- The Rockies know that the numbers attached to right-handed pitcher Jon Gray's four-start slump -- including a 9.33 ERA and .360 batting average against -- serve no purpose other than to make heads spin. Instead, they've boiled the mess down to a simple principle: Improvement rests in Gray's hands.
Gray has been the Rockies' No. 1 starter for the last two seasons, so his struggles have been understandably alarming.
But the test facing Gray, as well as manager Bud Black and pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes, is to ignore the justified fan angst, do the extensive video and statistical analysis, and present cool-headed coaching points.
Their diagnosis is that Gray's spotty fastball location means his slider -- his best put-away pitch -- is either not coming into play, or hitters are able to sit on it. So the key is improving the fastball.
And it's back to his hands at the start of the motion.
"They said one thing … get the ball out of the glove," said Gray, who had a bullpen session Friday and another Sunday morning in preparation for his next start, Wednesday at Cincinnati. "We make it very simple. So we don't think about too much. When you think about too much, things get out of whack. Getting it out creates a downhill fastball, because my arm isn't dragging behind. I'm trying to stay on top of the ball and throw hard downhill."
If Gray's hand separation -- the moment he pulls the ball out of the glove -- occurs when he is over the rubber and his momentum isn't fully toward the plate, his arm and body are in sync. Lately, however, the body is going forward while the hands separate, and his arm is in a desperate game of catch-up.
If it seems elementary, that's the point.
A 5-6 record and 5.68 ERA aren't pleasing numbers. But 76 strikeouts in 65 innings an a 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio (12th in the National League) point to a tuneup, not an overhaul.
"It's keeping the noise out, focusing on the small things," Foster said. "Small things matter. If you get caught up in the rest in the middle of the season when the results haven't been finalized, you find yourself in an infinite circle."
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Even under the pressure of a Major League season, the Rockies' coaching methods with the 26-year-old Gray haven't changed much since his selection at third overall out of the University of Oklahoma in the 2013 Draft. First was taming a wild delivery that worked against college hitters. Between reaching the Majors in 2015 and last season, Holmes taught
Gray a curveball, which he hadn't thrown in his life.
Gray closed out last season with 13 consecutive starts of no more than three earned runs allowed, while spearheading the Rockies' first postseason trip since 2009. However, Gray had missed time earlier in the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, which lands at the end of his windup. To compensate, he didn't land as hard. Earlier this year, his foot was landing pointing toward the left side, which was costing him action on his slider.
Before the fastball problems cropped up, Gray's one coaching point was to land straight. Sometimes, as he takes the mound for games, Gray draws a line toward the plate with his foot.
"I see a lot of positives with my breaking ball -- I've gotten that to where I want it, finally," he said. "But now it's just the fastball. I have everything I need to go get it. I just need to go do it."
The issue of not pulling the ball out of the glove quickly enough actually was addressed at the start of 2016 in the Minors.
"We're retracing things that we've already worked on with him in the past," Foster said. "It's like any athlete at the elite level, it's easy to get away from the foundational truths of what you do. What is it that makes you great? What makes Jon
Gray great is his ability to locate with precision, his ability to get a strikeout when he needs it, to keep his walks low. So we've gone back to the foundational truths, and one of them is separation over the rubber, which is critical."13th, 2018
To keep his own mind from racing, Gray said he is taking solace in the team's solid start and buying into the approach that addressing the fundamentals will lead to better results. But he also admits it can be difficult.
"You don't want to become results-oriented, but they kind of matter right now," Gray said. "So I need to focus on some things right now and, no matter what, compete."
Black pulling bullpen through tough time
For two consecutive nights, the Rockies' bullpen has crumbled to the Dodgers, who won 11-8 on Friday night and 12-4 on
Saturday night. Seven pitchers over the two nights have given up a combined 11 hits and 14 runs over 6 1/3 innings pitched. 9
What's not working? Rockies manager Bud Black says it's simple.
"They're not making good pitches," Black said before Sunday's finale against the Dodgers. "If you look at the quality of pitches that we're making, it's just not up to standard. The ball-strike ratio is not good. Too many deep counts, a few walks, just not making quality pitches that these fellas are capable of making."
Earlier in the season, the pitching was pulling the weight of winning games. Now, it's the Rockies' bats. Through eight games on the homestand, Colorado is hitting .325 with a .517 slugging percentage and averaging 6.4 runs per game.
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Colorado Rockies get swept by Los Angeles Dodgers after blowing 5-run lead By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: June 3, 2018 at 5:04 pm | UPDATED: June 3, 2018 at 8:21 pm
The current script is going to lead to the Rockies’ ruin.
Act I: Score early. Act II: Offense goes cold. Act III: Pitching collapses.
All of those elements were on display in a maddening Sunday matinee at Coors Field, where the Rockies blew a 6-1 lead and ended up losing 10-7 to the Dodgers, who finished off a three-game sweep. The five-run deficit the Dodgers overcame to win the game was their largest rally of the season.
It was Colorado’s fourth consecutive loss at home, turning a once-promising homestand into a 4-5 flop. The Rockies are just 11-16 at Coors Field.
Los Angeles won the game with three runs in the ninth inning against closer Wade Davis, who gave up two doubles, a walk, two wild pitches and a mammoth two-run homer to right by Yasmani Grandal.
“The pitches that they squared up were out over the plate,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “The pitch to Grandal looked like a cutter that didn’t quite get to the insider corner and stayed over the middle.”
Colorado had tied the game via two Dodgers gifts in the seventh inning. Nolan Arenado singled off reliever Brock Stewart and moved to third on Stewart’s errant pickoff throw. Why Stewart was worried about Arenado running remains a mystery.
With two outs, Ian Desmond hit a routine grounder to second, but Logan Forsythe booted it and Arenado scored.
Los Angeles’ three-run sixth inning gave it a 7-6 lead. It was an ugly inning from the Rockies’ perspective. A two-out double by Yasiel Puig brought an end to starter Chad Bettis‘ subpar day. Left-hander Chris Rusin came in and promptly walked pitch hitter Enrique Hernandez. Then Black turned to right-hander Scott Oberg, who gave up an RBI single to
Forsythe. When shortstop Trevor Story uncorked a throwing error, off Breyvic Valera’s grounder, the Dodgers had the advantage.
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Following a recent trend, the Rockies came screaming out of the gate, putting up six runs in the first two innings to take a
6-1 lead. Then the offense pulled up lame, getting just three hits after the second inning.
Black is aware of his team’s hitting drift but said he couldn’t put his finger on the reason, adding: “I think it will turn at some point. But it does seem that later in the game, we aren’t scoring.”
In the first inning, consecutive singles by DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado gave Colorado a 1-0 lead.
Desmond’s 459-foot, three-run homer to left-center made it 4-0.
Muncy’s solo homer off Bettis put the Dodgers on the board in the second, but the Rockies took advantage of Alex
Wood’s wildness — three walks and a hit batter in the inning — to score two runs. The RBIs came from Story, hit by pitch, and Desmond, who drew a walk.
Bettis, who is winless at Coors Field with a 7.24 ERA, has seen better days, for sure. The Dodgers belted him for five runs on seven hits across 5⅔ innings. Muncy’s two big swings did most of the damage vs. Bettis. Following his solo homer in the first, the L.A. first baseman ripped a three-run homer to right field in the third. The homer, coming on a cutter, put an exclamation point on Muncy’s 11-pitch at-bat.
“That was a tough at-bat,” Bettis said. “I basically felt I threw the whole kitchen sink at him and the one cutter I decided to throw, it didn’t end up where I wanted it to be. If it’s executed, obviously, it’s a different outcome, but he had a good day.”
Looking ahead
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (5-5, 3.43 ERA) at Reds RHP Anthony DeSclafani (2018 debut), 5:10 p.m. ATTRM
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (5-6, 5.68) at Reds RHP Sal Romano (3-6, 6.00), 5:10 p.m. ATTRM
Thursday: Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (3-1, 5.07) at Reds RHP Tyler Mahle (4-6, 4.38), 10:35 a.m., no TV
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Bad bullpen and all, Rockies insist getting swept by Dodgers is not a big deal Starter Jon Gray was warming up in the bullpen Sunday By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: June 3, 2018 at 7:57 pm | UPDATED: June 3, 2018 at 9:31 pm
Back in the day, former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle used to pull out a favorite bromide when his team lost a tough game or played an ugly series.
“These guys shower well,” Hurdle said.
Translation: The Rockies were able to wash off the bad stuff.
Now, in the wake of an unsightly three-game home sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, will the current crop of Rockies be able to wash off the stink?
“This is a team that turns the page very well,” manager Bud Black said after the Rockies blew a 6-1 lead and lost 10-7 on
Sunday. “We are going to be fine.”
Veteran catcher Chris Iannetta, who has become Colorado’s clubhouse defender, philosopher and most available player to the media, put it another way.
“We have to turn off all the noise,” he said. “Don’t listen to anyone who’s saying negative things and people making a big deal about one facet of the game or another. I think the mantra coming into this homestand was that the offense (couldn’t hit). Now they are going to say it’s the bullpen or the pitching. So, just don’t pay attention that and just keep going.
“You are going to go through stretches like this. It stinks. No one thinks about it more than we do, but the key for us is focusing on the next game.”
Fair enough. But as the Rockies head to Cincinnati for a three-game series that begins Tuesday, troubling issues are not simply going to melt away. What’s more, a four-game home losing streak has the Rockies sitting just one game above
.500 at 30-29.
The most pressing issue remains the bullpen. After closer Wade Davis gave up three runs on three hits with a walk and two wild pitches in the decisive ninth inning Sunday, Colorado’s bullpen ERA soared to 5.12, the second-highest in the
National League. Rockies relievers have allowed 34 of 82 inherited runners to score, a 41.5 percent rate that is the worst in the NL and third-worst in the majors. 13
Before Sunday’s game, Black said that hard-throwing right-hander Antonio Senzatela, currently pitching at Triple-A
Albuquerque, is a “possible option” to shore up the shaky ‘pen. After Sunday’s loss, Black said simply: “Our bullpen
faltered in three games.” Adding, of course, that this is just one stretch of a long season.
But there’s more to chew on. The Rockies fell to 11-16 at Coors Field and have not had a winning homestand this season.
The club’s overall ERA at home is 5.93, easily the worst in baseball.
Like Iannetta, steady second baseman D.J. LeMahieu said the sweep to the Dodgers is not cause for alarm.
“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “We didn’t play great this series, but we didn’t have any luck either. All of the bounces
went (the Dodgers’) way. I have no doubt we’ll come out and play well on Tuesday in Cincinnati.”
As for the recent bullpen meltdowns, LeMahieu said: “We have a really good bullpen, it was just a tough series. I know if
we go into Cincy and if we have the lead going into the sixth, seventh, eighth inning or whatever, we have a really good
chance to win.”
Footnotes. Right-handed starter Jon Gray was throwing in the bullpen and would have been used in relief if the Rockies
needed him to pitch. It was Gray’s day for a side session, so Black was willing to use him for the overtaxed bullpen. “I
knew going into the game that I might have to,” Gray said, but he quickly added that he is still a starter and remains on
line to start Wednesday at Cincinnati. … Iannetta left the game in the ninth inning after catching a foul tip off his leg. “I’m
fine, but my leg went numb there for a while and I couldn’t move right,” he said. “I didn’t want to stay in when I couldn’t
move and the game was on the line.” … Right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez is getting closer to pitching off a mound. He
threw long-toss from 140 feet Sunday and will travel with the Rockies to Cincinnati. … Charlie Blackmon batted 2-for-5 on
Sunday and extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games. He’s batting .375 (18-for-48) over the streak.
Lost Weekend
The Dodgers swept three games from Colorado in a weekend series at Coors Field. Some details of the Rockies’ demise:
•
• Blew 6-5 lead in 11-8 loss on Friday
• Blew 4-2 lead in 12-4 loss on Saturday
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• Blew 6-1 lead in 10-7 loss on Sunday
• Allowed three or more homers in each game of a three-game series for first time since June 26-28, 2012 vs. Washington
• Posted an 11.0 ERA over the three games
• Opened the series in first place in the National League West by a half game; now sit 1 ½ games behind Arizona
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Dodgers rally in 9th to beat Rockies, 10-7 Associated Press
DENVER -- Max Muncy kept Los Angeles in the game with a pair of long balls and Justin Turner put the Dodgers over the top with a squibbler in the infield.
"Nice safety squeeze, huh? Good call by Doc," Turner joked, referring to manager Dave Roberts.
Turner's dribbler down the first-base line in the top of the ninth drove in Logan Forsythefrom third to break a tie, and Los
Angeles beat the Colorado Rockies 10-7 on Sunday.
Max Muncy homered twice, Yasmani Grandal also went deep in a three-run ninth inning for the Dodgers, whose bullpen came up big again to hand Colorado its fourth straight loss.
Dodgers relievers got the win in all three games over the weekend, and Kenley Jansensaved two.
"I'm happy the bullpen threw so well," said starter Alex Wood, who pitched only two innings on Sunday. "Not just today but the whole weekend."
The Dodgers rallied from five down to sweep the three-game series at Coors Field. Los Angeles had runners at second and third in the ninth against Wade Davis and took the lead on Turner's slow roller to Davis (0-1). He tagged Turner but had no time to throw home as Forsythe scored to make it 8-7.
"Turner fought off some very good pitches and ultimately hit a ball 40 feet," Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Grandal followed with his ninth homer.
Tony Cingrani (1-2) got the win with an inning of relief and Jansen pitched the ninth for his 14th save.
Ian Desmond homered and drove in three runs for the Rockies, who lost catcher Chris Iannetta with a leg injury suffered on a foul ball by Chris Taylor in the ninth inning. Iannetta said he is fine.
"I wasn't in a lot of pain, I just couldn't react," Iannetta said. "I tried to block a ball and I felt really slow and it wasn't getting any better."
Tony Wolters replaced him during Turner's at-bat.
Desmond drove in three runs with a homer -- his 10th -- in the first, and a bases loaded walk in the second off Wood to stake Colorado to a 6-1 lead.
Muncy, who homered to left field in the second inning, capped an 11-pitch at-bat in the third by hitting Chad Bettis' slider into the seats in right to make it 6-4. It was the first multihomer game of his career. 16
The Dodgers took the lead in the seventh. A single from Forsythe off reliever Scott Obergmade it 6-5, and then shortstop Trevor Story's two-run throwing error on a grounder by Breyvic Valera gave L.A. a 7-6 lead.
Two L.A. errors in the seventh allowed the Rockies to tie it.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: LHP Jake McGee (shin contusion) pitched a clean eighth inning after not being used in the first two games of the series.
QUALITY AT-BAT
Muncy fell behind 1-2 in his at-bat in the third inning but fouled off five straight pitches before Bettis served up the home run ball.
"It was one of those at-bats where I felt extremely locked in," Muncy said. "I wasn't thinking about anything at all. It was a big moment for us, kind of got us back in the game there."
Bettis was one pitch from getting out of the inning without allowing a run when Muncy came through.
"It was a tough at-bat. He grinded it out," Bettis said. "He saw every pitch I had and he caught up with one.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: RHP Ross Stripling (3-1, 1.68) will open a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Stripling is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three games -- one start -- in his career against the Pirates.
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (5-5, 3.43) takes the mound in the first of a three-game series at Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Freeland hit is only career home run at Great American Ballpark on May 21, 2017.
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Rockies third straight collapse leads to series sweep for Dodgers By Drew Creasman - Posted on June 3, 2018 | BSN Denver
DENVER – The Colorado Rockies bullpen just can’t get the job done right now.
In an eerie repeat of the first two games in this series, Colorado took an early lead, saw some fight from their offense all day, but labored in the final innings with the bullpen surrendering five runs to finish off one of the more frustrating losses in recent memory for the team from Denver.
They led 4-0. They led 6-1. They lost by a score of 10-7.
For the third straight game, the Rockies offense came out hot. The first three hitters, DJ LeMahieu, Charlie Blackmon, and
Nolan Arenado, each threw out singles, the latter of which brought in the first run of the game. Then Trevor Story recorded
Colorado’s first out of the game on a flyball to center that scored Blackmon for the second run.
With Arenado still aboard, Ian Desmond smashed his 10th home run of the season on a deep, 459 foot drive over the wall in center field, making it 4-0, Rockies.
The Dodgers got one back on a solo home run to left off the bat of Max Muncy in the second.
But Colorado kept the pressure on, with a little help from some wildness on the part of Alex Wood.
It started with the big no-no of walking the pitcher. LeMahieu followed Bettis’ walk with one of his own and Blackmon lined a single to left to load the bases.
After Wood struck out Arenado with a well-placed change-up and got up 1-2 on Story, he was a strike away from escaping the jam without allowing any runs. But a breaking pitch ran in on Story and plunked him on the foot to bring in his second
RBI of the game despite that he didn’t have an official at-bat.
Desmond then put together a nice at-bat, working the count full and fouling off a tough one before drawing a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-1, Rockies.
As has been the case all series, the Dodgers would not go away. Chris Taylor began the third inning with a single and
Matt Kemp came through with another after Bettis had put two outs in the books. It looked like the Rockies starter had
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Muncy beat several times in the ensuing at-bat, but the lefty first baseman kept fighting off pitches until he finally found one to handle on the 11th offering.
He blasted it into the second deck in right field, and just like the Dodgers the half-frame before, the Rockies were one strike away from a zero-run inning that turned into a big one. Still, Colorado held the 6-4 advantage.
But, just like with the first two games in the series, the very moment the game was handed over to the bullpen, the
Dodgers pulled in front. Bettis recorded two outs in the sixth but gave up a double to Yasiel Puig, prompting Bud Black to go to Chris Rusin. Rusin got squeezed a bit, walking Enrique Hernandez in his only matchup.
Then Scott Oberg came on and got ahead on Logan Forsythe who managed to go down to a knee to lift a soft liner into center field, bringing LA to within one. Still ahead, Oberg induced a groundball to short but the normally surehanded Story unleashed a tough sinking throw that Ryan McMahon was unable to dig out at first. Two runs came in and just like that the
Dodgers took a 7-6 lead.
But the God of Errors would giveth after having taketh away. Arenado came up with a two-out single in the seventh. Then, for some reason, reliever Brock Stewart became concerned with the slowest player on the Rockies roster and uncorked a wild pickoff attempt that allowed Arendo to get all the way to third.
When Desmond hit a grounder to second, it looked like that play would go down as an inconsequential embarrassment, but Forsythe bobbled the ball and Desmond reached base with the game, somehow, tied at seven runs apiece.
But even the Rockies best reliever so far in 2018 couldn’t give any respite from the recent issues. Wade Davis came on with the game tied in the ninth and immediately gave up a double to Forsythe. He struck out Cody Bellinger but walked
Taylor then unleashed a wild pitch, allowing both runners to advance.
After a long battle with Justin Turner, Davis got a weak grounder just up the first baseline that he elected to field himself, but there wasn’t time to get the runner at the plate so he had to settle for recording the second out. It completely unraveled when Yasmani Grandal smashed a homer to center field in the next at-bat.
Final Score: Dodgers, 10, Rockies 7
Colorado falls to 30-29 and sit in second place, a game-and-a-half back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. 19
FINAL STATS:
Chad Bettis: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Chris Rusin: 0.0 IP, BB
Scott Oberg: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER
Jake McGee: 1 IP, 1 K
Ian Desmond: 1-for-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (10)
Charlie Blackmon: 2-for-5, 1 R
Nolan Arenado: 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI
DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB
Trevor Story: 1-for-2, 2 RBI
WHAT’S NEXT:
The Rockies hit the road for a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds that beings on Tuesday after a day off. The first game will see Kyle Freeland face off against Anthony Desclafani.
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Monday 4x4: Rockies Relievers Decline Inheritance TRACY RINGOLSBY - JUNE 4, 2018 | InsideTheSeams.com
A bullpen the Rockies envisioned as a strength in spring training has become a concern. There hasn't been much relief in sight. After Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Dodgers, the Rockies slipped 1 1/2 games back of the
Diamondbacks in the NL West, and a game in front of the Dodgers.
A critical issue in their struggle that has them just a game above .500 is the inability of the bullpen to slam the door on opponent rallies. The Rockies relievers have the highest percentage of inherited baserunners who score among NL teams.
HEADED HOME Team IR ISc IRS% Player IR ISc IRS% Rockies 82 34 41.5 Scott Oberg 15 12 80 Pirates 64 24 37.5 Harrison Musgrave 8 4 50 Giants 78 29 37.2 Bryan Shaw 13 6 46.2 Marlins 62 22 35.5 x-Antonio Senzatela 9 4 44.4 Braves 88 30 34.1 Chris Rusin 7 3 42.9 Dodgers 65 21 32.3 Jake McGee 6 2 33.3 D-Backs 72 23 31.9 Wade Davis 5 1 20 Mets 83 25 30.1 Mike Dunn 8 0 0 Brewers 77 22 28.6 y-Adam Ottavino 8 0 0 Cardinals 110 29 26.4 x-at Albuquerque Reds 99 25 25.3 y-on disabled list Cubs 101 25 24.8 Phillies 80 16 20 Nationals 70 14 20 Padres 73 12 16.4 Charlie Blackmon singled twice on Sunday, running his hitting streak to 11 games. it's the 12th hitting streak of
10 or more games in his carer, which is fifth on the all-time list for the Rockies. There have been 10 Rockies have 10 or more hitting streaks of 10 games during their time with the Rockies, including current rockies
Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez (13 streaks) and DJ LeMahieu (10 streaks). Todd Helton holds the franchise record with 25 streaks or 10 or more games. Larry Walker is second with 17.
STREAKIN' Most hitting streaks of 10+ games, Rockies history. 25 Helton, Todd
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Most hitting streaks of 10+ games, Rockies history. 17 Walker, Larry 13 Castilla, Vinny 13 Gonzalez, Carlos 12 Blackmon, Charlie (active 11-game streak) 11 Bichette, Dante 10 Young, Eric 10 Holliday, Matt 10 Tulowitzki, Troy 10 LeMahieu, DJ The Dodgers hit three home runs in each game of the weekend sweep. That's eight times this season the
Rockies have given up three home runs in a game, including in four of their last five games. The Giants hit three at Coors Field on Tuesday. The Rockies are 1-7 in the eight games.
GOING DEEP Team Date Opp W/L HR Pitcher Colorado Rockies 4/3/2018 SD Loss 3 Freeland (2), Senzatela (1) Colorado Rockies 4/8/2018 Atl Loss 3 Freeland (2), Rusin (1) Colorado Rockies 5/9/2018 LAA Loss 3 Anderson (2), Rusin (1) Colorado Rockies 5/20/2018 SF Loss 3 Anderson (1), McGee (2) Colorado Rockies 5/29/2018 SF Win 3 Freeland (2), Shaw (1) Colorado Rockies 6/1/2018 LAD Loss 3 Anderson (1), Pounders (1), Rusin (1) Colorado Rockies 6/2/2018 LAD Loss 3 Marquez (2), Shaw (1) Colorado Rockies 6/3/2018 LAD Loss 3 Bettis (2), Davis (1) The Rockies are 30-29. It is the ninth time in 26 years they have had a winning record 59 games into the season.
They have gone on to have a winning record for the season eight times.
Years W L Pct. Final Place Post-Season 2017 36 23 0.61 85-75 3 Wildcard 2000 34 25 0.576 82-80 4 1997 32 27 0.542 83-79 3 1995 31 28 0.525 77-67 2 Wildcard 2013 31 28 0.525 74-88 5 2001 30 29 0.508 73-89 5 2002 30 29 0.508 73-89 4 2010 30 29 0.508 83-79 3 2018 30 29 0.508 TBD TBD TBD
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Paul Klee: Was it a sign that Dodgers' sweep of Rockies ended with Jon Gray warming up in the Coors Field bullpen? By: Paul Klee June 3, 2018 Updated: 30 minutes ago
DENVER — Never, he said. Never in Jon Gray’s 26 years and six months of human existence has he done what he did on a curious afternoon at Coors Field that gets curious-er and curious-er by the minute.
Gray, the former No. 3 overall draft pick and hopeful ace of the Rockies (starting!) pitching rotation, was going to come out of the bullpen on Sunday. Seriously, I saw it, and so did roughly 41,851 others who filtered in to sip some cold ones and ultimately witness the Rockies’ bullpen blow another lead in a 10-7 loss to the stupid Dodgers. Even though the bullpen sits way out past right field, this is Jon Gray we’re talking about: flowing blonde locks, ready smile, emotions on his sleeve.
The big fella kinda sticks out, you know? After a jarring defeat that left the clubhouse quiet, I went over to Gray’s locker to double-check. Yep, it was him. Sure was.
“It’s definitely different,” Gray said of his would-be sojourn into relief duty.
Gray threw about 35 warm-up pitches and never entered the game. The Dodgers won it before he could with three runs in the ninth, completing the series sweep. But before the Rockies do anything else, they need to have a heart-to-heart with the powerful right arm who holds their future in his oversized mitts. Given the anxiety that’s surrounded Gray’s recent starts, they must let him know if the bullpen trip was merely a product of circumstance or a real, live experiment waiting to be unveiled. With the Rox stumbling out of a 4-5 homestand and into their first four-game losing streak of the season, the last thing you need is a No. 1 starter who’s unsure of exactly where he fits in around here.
“He was going to pitch the extra innings,” manager Bud Black confirmed.
The Rox are 0-for-June. The good news? Monday is only June 4. The bad news? The way the Rox are losing checks all the wrong boxes. They're taking on water in a place they can't afford to take on water, in the $100-million bullpen. Not only that, but the when is just as important: the Dodgers aren’t healthy, not even close, and yet now they’re only one game back of the Rockies. Soon as the Dodgers began to mount their third straight assault of the purple 'pen — a comeback captained by Max “MVP” Muncy and his two home runs — I read a snippet on MLB.com that should serve as a slap back to reality for even the heartiest Rox fans: in the absence of starting pitchers Kenta Maeda, Clayton Kershaw,
Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers starters have gone 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA.
Do you know what would happen if the Rox lost four starters from their pitching rotation? Coors Field would look something like that volcano in Hawaii, but not in the way that makes you want to take photos of the lava. It would be in the way that makes you want to run. 23
But that's the Dodgers for ya. For all their un-wholiness, the injuries are merely a hiccup on an inevitable dance back to first place by the end of June. Just watch. They'll be there. And the Rox haven’t taken advantage of the mild, mild West. At all.
“Define ‘bad stretch,’” catcher Chris Ianetta said Sunday.
OK, snark-free: Colorado’s bullpen just allowed 17 earned runs over three games against the Dodgers. Heading into this season, the angst at first base was pretty much expected. Not welcomed, but pretty much expected. But the pricey bullpen was cracked up to be the strength of the team.
Don’t look now — no, really, turn away — but the Rockies have allowed 34 of 82 inherited runners to score, the highest mark in the National League. One thing about playing baseball here is there's precious little room for error on the big- money items. You must hit on them. So far the Rox haven't.
“In terms of playing to our potential we still have a ways to go, which is a good thing,” Ianetta said.
Fair point.
And since we are a fair people, it’s necessary to point out that Black was the only guy around these hills who wasn’t freaking out when the 2017 Rockies lost eight straight to close June. Buddy was right then, and he could be right now, because those Rox turned out just fine and in the postseason.
“It’s three games,” Black said without a hint of anxiety. “You (have to) look at 162 games. You’re looking at a snippet of three games.”
“You know this group,” he added. “This is a team that turns the page very well.”
The irony of ironies arrived in the ninth inning. Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal unloaded a 425-foot home run off Wade
Davis. The baseball landed in the Dodgers’ bullpen, which is separated by a green wall from the Rockies’ bullpen, which is where Jon Gray was warming up.
It allowed the ballpark another look at who it was: Yep, that's Jon Gray. Was this a one-time thing, since Gray's Sunday turned out to be just like any other off-day? Or was it a move in progress? The unexpected scenario added another layer to the doubt that's starting to simmer at Coors Field.
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Colorado Rockies: Positives and negatives from a nightmare homestand by Aaron Hurt - 1 hour ago | RoxPile
Wow! I have no idea where to even start. What started out as a solid nine-game home stand for the Colorado
Rockies ended on Sunday with a absolute thud as the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep.
After winning four of the first five games, the Rockies were a complete disaster and lost the final four games of the homestand. I stated lasted week that the Rockies needed to go a minimum of 6-3 to consider the homestand a success
… and obviously the 4-5 record was the nightmare that they needed to avoid.
The Rockies began this homestand looking to find their offense. In the process, they forgot how to pitch.
Here is a rundown of the positives and negatives of the last nine games.The Positives
The struggling offense finally found its groove … for the most part. During the nine games, the Rockies hit .315 and an even better .365 RISP and averaged 6. 4 runs per game.
Welcome back DJ LeMahieu. In his three games back from the disabled list, DJ was 6-14 (.429) with five runs and four
RBI.
Ryan McMahon was much better after being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 26. Even though he struggled on Sunday, going 0-4 with two strikeouts, he is 7-for-24 (.291) since he replaced Pat Valaika on the roster.
The Rockies have a day off on Monday before going to to the National League’s second-worst team, the Cincinnati Reds.
What in the world has happened to the pitching, especially the bullpen? I previous stated that the Rockies averaged 6.4 runs per game during the homestand. Well, the opponents averaged 6.8 runs. To make it even worse, the last four games, the opponents averaged an even 10 runs.
The bullpen, as we all know, has been absolute garbage during this losing streak. In the four games, they gave up 20 runs in 16 innings of work, which is an ERA of 11.25. That shoddy performance led to the pen taking credit for all four losses.
Not that that takes the starting staff off the hook. Their ERA in the last four games has also been an atrocious 8.10.
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The loss of Adam Ottavino to a sore oblique is one reason for the pen’s struggles. By not having his absolutely filthy slider coming out of the pen, it has placed a lot of pressure on the other guys to fill different roles … which they certainly did not.
Earlier I stated that the offense had found its groove … for the most part. I say for the most part because the offense has disappeared after the third inning. In the last four games, the Rockies have scored 18 runs in the first three innings. In innings four through nine, they have managed to score only five total runs.
The Rockies are now 1.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. This day off on Monday will be used to give the bullpen some much needed rest before squaring off against the Reds on the road, where the Rockies have played much better so far this season.
As long as the offense doesn’t cool off and the pitching enjoys not being at Coors Field, this four-game nightmare should be short-lived.
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Colorado Rockies injury updates: Adam Ottavino and Jake McGee by Kevin Henry - 19 hours ago | RoxPile
Prior to the Colorado Rockies taking the field for the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors
Field, Colorado manager Bud Black took the time to update Rox Pile and other media members on the conditions of two of his most critical options out of the bullpen.
Jake McGee has been absent from the Colorado bullpen for the last two evenings while the Rockies bullpen has imploded in consecutive losses to the Dodgers. McGee last pitched on May 30 at Coors Field against the San
Francisco Giants and suffered a shin contusion that night. According to Black, it has affected McGee being able to push off correctly on the mound and kept him as a non-option for the Rockies since that outing.
However, Black believes that McGee will be available for Sunday’s game against the Dodgers.
“Jake should be available today,” Black said. “He should be good to go. If you don’t see him today, you know he was unavailable with the day off tomorrow (Monday). As of now (a couple of hours before game time), he’s getting treatment.
He’s in the training room. He’s going through some paces in there, getting ready to play. We’re thinking he should be ready.”
McGee is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA this season and opponents are hitting .260 against him. He has surrendered 20 hits in 20 innings pitched, including giving up a pair of hits and allowing a run in his last outing against the Giants.
Also, Black told Rox Pile and other media members inside the Rockies dugout on Sunday that Adam Ottavino is expected to begin throwing when Colorado arrives in Cincinnati for a three-game series against the Reds, beginning on
Tuesday.
“He’s progressing,” Black said. “He’s doing better. I suspect in Cincinnati we will get him on the field playing catch.
Conceivably, we’ll get him on a mound. He’s feeling much, much better.”
That is good news for a Rockies bullpen that desperately needs some good news at the moment. Ottavino put together a
3-0 mark and 0.95 ERA while striking out 45 batters in 28.1 innings before being placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain on May 28.
In his last 7.1 innings pitched, Ottavino has allowed just two hits while striking out nine batters, a taste of the dominance he has displayed while putting together an All-Star-caliber season to this point. 27
Rockies squander another lead in pitiful sweep by Dodgers By Aniello Piro - June 3, 2018 | MileHighSports
The Colorado Rockies blew a late lead once again in their 10-7 loss Sunday afternoon to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sunday’s loss marked the third consecutive game in which the Rockies have been unable to preserve a lead in a ballgame en route to a three-game sweep by the Dodgers.
Colorado quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning which began with back-to-back singles from DJ LeMahieu and
Charlie Blackmon. Nolan Arenado added to the singles parade with one of his own to score the first run of the ballgame.
Trevor Story then followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home another run. From there, Ian Desmond blasted a two-run home run to center field, adding an additional two runs.
The Dodgers got a quick strike in the second inning when Max Muncy hit a solo home run to left field.
However, the Rockies answered by scoring two runs in the bottom of the second. Alex Wood issued back-to-back walks to Chad Bettis and LeMahieu, which was followed with a single hit by Blackmon to load the bases. From there, Trevor
Story was hit by a pitch to force home a run and then Desmond was walked to score another run, extending Colorado’s lead to 6-1.
The Dodgers, again, pressed the Rockies lead as Muncy hit yet another home run, this time a three-run shot to right field, making the score 6-4.
The game remained quiet until the sixth inning where the Rockies coughed up the lead. Chad Bettis was able to record two outs before surrendering a two-out double to Yasiel Puig, which ended his afternoon. Chris Rusin walked the lone batter he faced in relief and then Scott Oberg surrendered an RBI single to Logan Forsythe. Breyvic Valera then reached base safely on a throwing error by Story which allowed two runs to score and Los Angeles to take a 7-6 lead.
Despite not scoring in the sixth inning, the Rockies were able to rally in the seventh inning to score a run to tie the game.
Arenado reached base on a one-out single and was able to advance to third base on a botched pick-off attempt by pitcher
Brock Stewart. Desmond then hit a two-out groundball to Forsythe who lost the ball which allowed Demond to reach base and Arenado to score.
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The two teams entered the 9th inning tied where the Rockies sent closer Wade Davis to the mound. Davis allowed a double to Forsythe to start the inning and later walked Chris Taylor. With two runners on, Justin Turner hit a dribbler back to Davis, but Forsythe was running on contact and was able to score before Daivs had an opportunity to throw home to score the go-ahead run for the Rockies. From there, the Dodgers blew the game wide open when Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run home run, extending their lead to 10-7.
The Rockies were unable to score in the ninth inning leading to the sweep and their fourth consecutive loss.
The Rockies will travel to Cincinnati for a three-game series with the Reds beginning Tuesday.
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