MEDIA CLIPS – August 5, 2017 DJ spins win vs. Phils; Rox keep pace in race By Thomas Harding and Max Gelman / MLB.com Luis Garcia (1-3) walked Pat Valaika to open the inning. And, although Blackmon was 0-for-3 Friday, his 1.022 OPS coming into the game dictated that the Phillies avoid him -- even if it meant facing LeMahieu, whose hit made him 15-for- 34 (.441) over his last 10 games. "I don't think they're disrespecting me or anything like that, but it feels good to get hits when they walk to get to me," said LeMahieu, who won the National League batting crown last year and has shaken an early slump to reach .322. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, whose team lost its fourth straight, despite Nick Williams' three hits, said of LeMahieu: "Well he's a good hitter, all those guys are good hitters. You look at their averages, their on-base percentages, in that last inning it was pick your poison. Do I want to face LeMahieu or Blackmon?" And the Rockies, who had closer Greg Holland salt away the ninth for his 34th save in 35 chances, took their third one- run victory in the last four games. They hold the second National League Wild Card spot, a half-game behind the D-backs, and 5 1/2 ahead of the Brewers. "Our guys, when it sort of gets hot and gets tight, are OK," Rockies manager Bud Black said. Rockies lefty starter Kyle Freeland, who came into the game leading the Majors in several rookie categories, left after just 11 pitches because of a left groin injury. But lefty Chris Rusin escaped a man on second in the first and bases loaded with no outs in the second, and finished with 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Antonio Senzatela-- a rookie starter helping out the bullpen -- ate two innings and gave up 1 two runs in the sixth inning as part of a good-enough relief effort. Lefty Mike Dunn (4-1) went 1 1/3 innings for his 12th scoreless outing in his last 13. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Thrice as nice: The Phillies' Maikel Franco entered Friday hitting .224, but in the sixth he tripled -- his first of the season and third of his career -- to drive in Williams to tie the game at 2. Franco's hit eluded Carlos Gonzalez, who fell after an awkward route. Just needed a bigger fly: The Rockies were frustrated with repeated fly-ball outs, especially during Phillies starter Vince Velasquez's five innings. But leave it to Nolan Arenado to do a fly ball right. Arenado launched a 2-1 fastball from Ricardo Pinto into the bleachers in left-center in the seventh for his 25th home run. "The momentum was on their side when they came back, tied the game [in the sixth] and took the lead [in the seventh]," Black said. "Nolan had the big swing that sort of energized us a little bit a couple different ways. "He had a couple pitches to hit, and he missed them. He was frustrated. That happens. But we'll take Nolan in a big spot any day." QUOTABLE "Tonight was a big win, with all the circumstances, with all the things that happened early in the game. We didn't score a bunch of runs, and when your starting pitcher only gets to throw a few pitches and has to come out of the game it looks really ugly. But good teams always find ways to win those games." -- the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez, who had a two-run single off of Velasquez with the bases loaded in the first, and has hits in 12 of his last 13 games two-run single "The velocity wasn't up. He was 91, 92 and then he increased the velocity a little bit. … What we're looking for from him is to be able to throw 96 pitches in more innings. The next step for him is to economize his pitches." -- Mackanin on Velasquez's long first inning and subsequent rebound. WHAT'S NEXT Phillies: Rookie right-hander Nick Pivetta (4-6, 5.42 ERA) will make his first career start against the Rockies on Saturday, beginning at 8:10 p.m. ET. Pivetta gave up one run in six innings in his last outing vs. the Braves, but he had a 9.37 ERA in his three previous starts. On the road, Pivetta has a 6.70 ERA compared to a 3.89 ERA at home. 2 Rockies: Righty Jon Gray (3-2, 5.52 ERA) is looking to avoid the one hiccup when he faces the Phillies at Coors Field on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. MT. In his last start, a loss at Washington, Gray was perfect for six of his seven innings, but gave up two homers and three runs in the fifth inning. 3 Freeland exits in first frame with left groin strain Rockies lefty is MLB rookie leader in wins, ERA and innings pitched By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | 12:49 AM ET DENVER -- Rockies left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland, the MLB rookie leader in wins (11), ERA (3.71) and innings pitched (121 2/3), left Friday's 4-3 win over the Phillies after 11 pitches with a left groin injury, the severity of which is unclear. "He's got a groin strain; he's got a groin pull, to some extent," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "These things, just hours after the trauma, we don't know exactly how it's going to set up." Black added that the "imaging … showed no structural damage," but he expected to know the extent of the injury over the next couple of days. Freeland grimaced and limped after throwing an 84.8 mph slider to Phillies No. 3 hitter Aaron Altherr with one out and a runner at second in the first inning. He had given up a Cesar Hernandez leadoff single and struck out Freddy Galvis, as Hernandez stole second. Black said the injury occurred when Freeland squatted to avoid catcher Jonathan Lucroy's throw on the steal. Freeland threw 10 strikes. Lefty Chris Rusin replaced Freeland and ended the first with the first of his five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Rusin also escaped loaded bases and no outs in the second. After Rusin's 58 pitches, rookie starter Antonio Senzatela -- skipped this time through the rotation to work on his fastball command and control his innings -- pitched two innings and yielded two runs on three hits. Senzatela, with scant relief experience, had thrown three innings (four strikeouts, one hit) in Wednesday's 10-5 loss to the Mets. He threw 32 Friday. "They told me before the game, 'Hey, you're out today,' but after what happened to Freeland, [Black] told me, 'Hey, you go after Rusin. Be ready,'" Senzatela said. Scott Oberg escaped a two-on, two-out situation by forcing a Hyun Soo Kim grounder to end the sixth. He gave up a run in the seventh. Mike Dunn (4-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings for his 11th scoreless outing in his last 12, and Greg Holland earned his 34th save in 35 changes with a spotless, one-strikeout ninth. Black noted, "It truly was a total pitching staff effort from a number of guys. In a game like that, when your starter has to exit, it's not easy." 4 Now the Rockies, who hold the second National League Wild Card spot, could be faced with rotation decisions, depending on how long Freeland is out. Righty Tyler Chatwood gave up eight runs (seven earned) in 5 1/3 innings of Wednesday's loss to the Mets. Afterward, the speculation was that Senzatela would replace Chatwood in the rotation. The Rockies will have to determine if they can ask Senzatela to bounce back from two relief appearances totaling 67 pitches over two days. Unless the Rockies change their plans, they won't immediately call upon righty Chad Bettis, who hasn't pitched in the Majors this season because of treatments for testicular cancer. Bettis made his fifth injury rehab start Thursday, for Triple- A Albuquerque and threw 84 pitches in 5 2/3 innings in a loss at Round Rock. Black said Friday that Bettis will make another rehab start before the team will consider activating him. 5 Inbox: Are Rusin's contributions undervalued? Beat reporter Thomas Harding answers fans' questions By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | August 4th, 2017 DENVER -- Rockies manager Bud Black went into Spring Training viewing left-hander Chris Rusin as a competitor for the starting rotation, before an oblique injury limited his innings and dictated that he would be in the bullpen. And, as one of the fans who sent a question to today's Edward Jones Beat Reporter's Inbox notes, he's been quite valuable in his role. Scott Bell @ElevenGrover Does anyone realize Chris Rusin pitches for the Rockies and is actually kind of good this year? 9:30 AM - Aug 4, 2017 Rusin (3-0, 2.95 ERA in 38 games going into Friday night against the Phillies) has the ability to throw one inning or multiple innings. He has held opponents to a .223 overall batting average and is not a matchup guy. Right-handed batters are hitting .210 while lefties -- whom he doesn't face nearly as often -- are hitting .241. A guy who can throw multiple innings or at different times of the game will be quite valuable in the stretch run and, the Rockies hope, the playoffs.