MEDIA CLIPS – July 9, 2017

Rodon, Freeland to close out series, first half

By Max Gelman / MLB.com | 5:37 AM ET

The Rockies and White Sox close out the first half of the season with the finale of this Interleague series today. Nolan

Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu and will represent the Rockies in Miami in Tuesday's All-Star

Game presented by Mastercard. The White Sox will send Avisail Garcia.

Left-hander will take the mound Sunday for the Rockies in his final first-half tuneup. Freeland is coming off one of his worst starts of the season, in which he gave up five runs in 5 1/3 and received an extended solo mound visit from manager . Freeland has made three Interleague starts and is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA in those.

White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon will make his third start of the season and face the Rockies for the first time. Rodon began

2017 on the DL with left biceps bursitis and was activated June 27. In his previous outing vs. the Athletics, Rodon struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings.

Things to know about this game

• Garcia did not start Friday or Saturday's contests because of a sprained right middle finger, but is expected to return to the lineup for the finale. In 77 games, Garcia is hitting .313/.356/.502 with 11 home runs and 40 runs scored.

• No active Rockies have had an at-bat against Rodon, but that doesn't mean they haven't faced him. Mark

Reynolds has two plate appearances against the 24-year-old and walked both times. • The White Sox pitching staff is on pace for 597 walks, which would be its most in one season since 2000 (614). 1

Rox tie game in 8th, but fall to Chicago in 9th

By Fabian Ardaya and Max Gelman / MLB.com | 1:57 AM ET

DENVER -- Tim Anderson spoiled the Rockies' hopes for a comeback, as the 24-year-old crushed a go-ahead solo home in the ninth to give the White Sox a 5-4 win over the Rockies at on Saturday night. Anderson's homer was the second-longest of his career at 444 feet; he his longest in Friday's opener.

Greg Holland, the Rockies' All-Star who leads MLB with 28 saves, came in to a 4-4 game shortly after Gerardo

Parra hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to cap off the Rockies' rally. Anderson led off the frame by taking Holland deep, going to nearly the same spot he went to in center on Friday night -- a homer that went a Statcast-projected 451 feet -- to give the White Sox the lead again before David Robertsonclosed it out for his 13th .

"I never got off the heater," Anderson said of the homer off Holland. "I had a feeling he was going to try to challenge me with a heater in. They had been kind of coming in all game, so I just never got off the heater."

Jose Quintana, who's received the 10th-lowest average run support in the American League at 4.17, wasn't his dominant self of seasons past, but was able to keep the Rockies in check, giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Chicago scored three runs in the first off of Rockies starter . Colorado has only won two games this season after trailing by three or more runs.

"Jeff hung in there. Wasn't at his best, but I really liked the fact that he hung in there and went seven innings without really having his best stuff and maybe his best command," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "I told him after the game I thought his last 30 pitches were his best out of the 90-plus."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Rey of sunshine: Things had been looking bleak for the Rockies in the late innings, as they couldn't seem to figure out

Quintana or the White Sox . But Mark Reynolds led off the eighth with a that rolled away from right fielder Alen Hanson. It was Reynolds' first triple in exactly two years, with his last three-bagger coming July 8, 2015, as a

Cardinal. Additionally, Reynolds' average sprint speed per Statcast™ is 25.9 feet per second (the average MLB sprint speed is 27 feet per second). On tonight's triple, he was clocked at 26.6 feet per second.

Defensive star in the making: Adam Engel's play in center field has been impressive for the White Sox since he made his Major League debut on May 27. He showed off his speed and range with Chicago up, 4-2, in the fifth inning, taking away extra bases from Tony Wolters by traveling 85 feet in 4.7 seconds for a four-star catch, according to Statcast™. 2

The ball was his second four-star catch of the night, with his running catch on DJ LeMahieu's liner in the first inning having a catch probability of 49 percent; the Wolters ball had a 36 percent catch probability. Since he made his debut,

Engel is the only White Sox outfielder with a catch that was awarded a three-star rating or higher by Statcast™. He now has three.

QUOTABLE

"I don't think about that right now. I'm focusing on doing my job. The first half has ended for me now and I'm focused on the second half. Try to do a better job and recover my body. I know that the trades are around me but that's part of the game. I don't have control in that. I just have control on throwing the ball well." -- Quintana, on the possibility that this was his last start with Chicago

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The White Sox feasted on extra-base hits early on, as Jose Abreu, Yolmer Sanchez and Willy Garcia combined to knock three triples in the first four innings of the game. It marked the first time Chicago recorded at least three triples in a game since recording five at home against Cleveland on Aug. 16, 2011.

Sanchez's two-run triple

Quintana became the first White Sox to record 10 or more and pick up an RBI since Bart Johnson on

Sept. 17, 1971.

"Really excited," Quintana said of his fourth-inning sacrifice fly that made it 4-2. "My first RBI. I try to get contact first. It was really good. The guy throws hard. It was good, it was fun." More >

INTENTIONALLY SHREWD

The Rockies knocked Quintana out in the sixth following an RBI double by Parra and had a chance for more against . The White Sox reliever has been adept at holding inherited runners, and proved capable again. Swarzak struck out with two on the black and, after was intentionally walked to load the bases, Swarzak induced a weak groundout from Wolters to end the inning. Swarzak has not allowed an earned run since June 18 and has stranded 19-of-26 inherited runners this season.

"Last year, I remember throwing [Story] some good sliders and him taking me to right field on them," Swarzak said of striking out Story. "I knew I wasn't going to let him get to me again, so in that at-bat I wanted to just stay hard on him. I executed down and away, kind of locked him up."apes bases-loaded jam

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"That was a tough one. Would've been nice late in the game," Black said. "We got to Quintana, they made a pitching change, we sorta had the momentum back on our side. That's a tough one."

EJECTED

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Charlie Blackmon struck out looking and erupted in anger. Plate umpire Sam

Holbrook rung Blackmon up on a on the outside part of the plate, and Blackmon immediately objected. Holbrook ejected him after a few words, and Blackmon spiked his helmet and bat on the ground. Black came out to defend his player and was ejected as well.

WHAT'S NEXT

White Sox: Carlos Rodon (1-1, 1.59 ERA) takes the White Sox into the All-Star break in the last of a three-game set

Sunday afternoon. He's fresh off his first win of the season after missing most of the first three months with left biceps bursitis. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. CT.

Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (8-7, 4.09) closes out the Interleague series for the Rockies on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. MT.

Freeland has already made three Interleague starts in his young career, winning all three with a 2.95 ERA. But Freeland's coming off one of his worst outings this season, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings vs. the Reds last Tuesday.

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Holland has rare miscue in loss to White Sox Rockies' reliable closer surrenders homer in ninth inning

By Fabian Ardaya and Max Gelman / MLB.com | 1:57 AM ET

DENVER -- Greg Holland has been so automatic this season that a hiccup is seemingly out of the question.

But Holland, whose 28 saves lead the Major Leagues, served up a middle-middle to Tim Anderson leading off the ninth in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the White Sox, negating the Rockies' eighth-inning rally. Anderson's homer was just the second Holland has given up this season, following a Paul DeJong solo May 28.

Holland said the mistake was more mental than physical, and leaving a fastball catching that much of the plate -- especially in a 1-2 count -- is a bad combination.

"I didn't really have great command of my fastball, and I just thought I could maybe catch him looking," Holland said. "I was trying to go down and away and I missed in the middle of the plate. … You can't do that with two strikes, so that's something that'll really [tick] you off as a player."

Anderson apparently enjoys playing at Coors Field, too, as his two longest home runs of the season have come in the first two games of this series. Against Holland, Anderson said he was looking for the fastball the whole at-bat.

"I had a feeling he was going to try to challenge me with a heater in," Anderson said. "They had been kind of coming in all game, so I just never got off the heater."

Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman shouldered some of the blame as well, saying he didn't have his best command. Hoffman was particularly upset about giving up the White Sox fourth run, a sacrifice fly to an opposing American League pitcher in Jose Quintana.

"I'm not happy with what I threw at all," Hoffman said. "I put Greg in a bad situation there at the end of the game and he should never have to come in and deal with something like that. He should be coming in with a one-run lead."

With as much experience as he has closing games, Holland said he doesn't see a difference between entering in a tie or close game.

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"I typically don't like to give up any runs ever," Holland said. "Tie game, one-run game, two-run game, especially here.

You've got to be pretty locked in mentally from the get-go."

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Senzatela optioned to Triple-A for one start Left-handed reliever Rosscup called up to fill Rockies' roster spot

By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | July 8th, 2017

DENVER -- The Rockies, who are controlling rookie right-hander Antonio Senzatela's Major League innings, optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday for one start, with plans to return him to the rotation.

The Rockies recalled left-handed reliever , acquired in a June 26 trade with the Cubs for righty reliever Matt

Carasiti, to fortify the bullpen.

Senzatela (9-3, 5.63 ERA) earned Rookie of the Month honors in April and still leads the Rockies -- who will finish the pre-All-Star schedule in position for the second NL Wild Card -- in wins. But his history and recent performance trends led the Rockies to pull him from the rotation. After going 2-3 with an 8.54 ERA from May 21-June 22, his last three outings have been in relief.

Senzatela, 22, said he will start July 13 in Las Vegas, in Albuquerque's first game out of the All-Star break.

"They told me I'd throw on [July 13] and come back here and start on the 18th; that's the plan," Senzatela said. "I need to keep the ball down, the way I was doing the first two months, and make more quality pitches."

Senzatela threw just 34 2/3 innings for Double-A Hartford last season because of two bouts with right shoulder inflammation and the illness and death of his mother in Venezuela. Injuries and a strong netted him a

Major League rotation spot.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Senzatela's velocity was down "a tick" -- his fastball went from 94.3 mph in May to 94.0 in June, according to Statcast™ -- in his last two starts before going to the bullpen. In three relief outings covering five innings, the four-seamer has climbed to a 95.3 mph average.

"He's been going hard since early February, as with all our young ," Black said. "These guys were really grinding to try to make the team and haven't stopped."

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Black acknowledged that lefty Kyle Freeland, who will start against the White Sox in Sunday's final game before the break, could be a candidate for an innings slow-down coming out of the break. Righty German Marquez's solid performance in Friday's 12-4 victory over the White Sox -- seven innings, three earned runs, five strikeouts -- occurred with enough time left before the break that the Rockies can build in extra rest before his next start.

Worth noting

• Rosscup will give the bullpen four lefties and four righties. Rosscup's lone Major League appearance this year was on

May 22 -- a scoreless two-thirds of an inning against the Giants. He missed all of 2016 with left shoulder inflammation.

Before the injury, he spent parts of three seasons with the Cubs, appearing in 61 games from 2013-15 with a 5.40 ERA.

In Triple-A with the Cubs and Rockies affiliates, Rosscup had a combined 2.53 ERA in 31 1/3 innings over 20 appearances, including one start.

Major League righties are hitting more than 100 points higher against Rosscup than lefties -- .287 compared to .162. At

Triple-A, he has been fed a steady diet of righties.

"It's definitely something I could work on, I haven't had that much success against righties in the big leagues," Rosscup said. "But now I have more of a plan of attack. I don't think there's anything different that I'm doing, it's more about having a plan."

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Saunders: Like it or not, dealing with media is part of pro athlete’s job I consider it part of the modern pro athlete’s job to interact with the media

By Patrick Saunders / Denver Post | July 8th, 2017

A few quick anecdotes to start this discussion:

— On Thursday afternoon, right fielder Carlos Gonzalez was one of the few players available to the media in the Rockies’ clubhouse following a disheartening 6-3 home loss to Cincinnati. He was engulfed by media members, and questions hung heavy in the air concerning the Rockies’ recent woes and, more specifically, CarGo’s season long slump.

CarGo politely answered every question with grace, a touch of humor, and even some genuine honesty.

“I know what it feels to be the best player in the game and the worst player in the game,” Gonzalez said. “Right now, I feel like I’m the worst player in the game.”

— Last Sunday in Arizona, Thomas Harding of MLB.com and I approached after the game to ask about the calf injury that knocked him out of a game and put him on the disabled list. Desmond cut us off with a curt retort: “I’m not talking to the media.”

I was surprised. Desmond came to Colorado with a reputation as an accessible and articulate athlete. For the most part, he had been, up until that uncomfortable moment.

— On April 19 of last season, former Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa had one of the worst games of his career.

Pitching at Cincinnati, he was pummeled. And the Reds stole five bases off him in the second inning. Moments after reporters were allowed into the clubhouse, but before we could talk to De La Rosa, he left.

Traditionally, it’s considered part of the ’s job to talk to the media, win or lose, good performance or bad.

When De La Rosa took off, I tweeted that he had “bolted the clubhouse,” adding that it was “unprofessional.”

A few minutes later De La Rosa returned for an interview, glaring at me the entire time. It was clear that he was aware of what I’d tweeted. We barely spoke to each other the rest of the season.

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De La Rosa is shy by nature and I always sensed he was uncomfortable during group interviews. While I sympathized with him, the bottom line was that De La Rosa was the Rockies’ highest-paid pitcher last year ($12.5 million) and it was part of his job to talk to the media.

Fans, who pay for tickets, devote big chunks of their lives to watching games on TV. They spend their hard-earned money to buy jerseys and over-priced beer and hot dogs at the stadium and they want to know about their team. It’s my job to try and provide them with a fair, accurate and hopefully interesting viewpoint.

There is a natural wall between professional athletes and the media, and it’s a wall that’s gotten thicker and higher since I joined The Denver Post in 1998. I’ve covered both the Broncos and the Rockies and I know first-hand that the access in baseball is light years better than the regimented world of the NFL. I’m grateful for that, and for the professionalism of nearly all the Rockies players I’ve covered.

I understand that some players don’t like reporters in general, and that many consider us interlopers. It’s something the media has to deal with and respect. As I watched reporters circle CarGo, I kidded D.J. LeMahieu: “You guys hate us, don’t you?”

LeMahieu gave me a wry smile and said, “Well, it’s kind of tough when we’re losing.”

I don’t expect every player to be as personable, forthcoming or available as CarGo, but I consider it part of the modern pro athlete’s job to interact with the media.

It’s not always pretty. A lot of dumb questions are asked and lots of calculated cliches are tossed back. But the bottom line is that professional sports are big-money entertainment, and the reporter and athlete are locked in their awkward dance together.

Spotlight on: Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees

What’s up: The biggest Bronx Bomber of them all — Judge is listed at 6-foot-7, 282 pounds — will be the biggest story of the All-Star Game in Miami. He’ll get top billing in Monday night’s home run derby, outshining even Marlins slugger

Giancarlo Stanton, who checks in at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds. The home run derby has gotten a bit stale, but this year’s event will be a must-see, tape-measure extravaganza. Stanton, you might recall, broke the auxiliary scoreboard when Marlins

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Park opened in 2012, hitting a rocket off the Rockies’ Jamie Moyer. Earlier this season, Judge launched a homer that flew so high and so far it looked like it was enhanced by special effects. The 495-foot blast was the longest home run in the history of new .

Background: Judge, 25, wears No. 99. He wanted No. 44, but that number was retired by the Yankees in 1993 to honor

Reggie Jackson. He was the 32nd pick of the 2013 draft but didn’t make his big-league debut until Aug. 13 of last season.

He entered the weekend with 29 homers, the most in the majors by a long shot, and Judge could be on his way to becoming only the second player in history to capture the home run crown during a rookie campaign (Mark McGwire did it

1987, hitting 49). Judge has already tied Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees record for home runs by a rookie. How popular is

Judge? One of his rookie baseball cards recently sold on eBay for $14,665.

Saunders’ take: I’m the kind of baseball fan who loves a well-pitched game, a slick double play and a Nolan

Arenado masterpiece at third base as much as a monster home run. Strikeouts are way up this season and so are home runs, so that’s not my favorite brand of baseball. That said, the emergence of Judge is great for our national pastime.

There is an aura around the rookie that’s impossible to resist. He’s an all-star, yet he’s still living out of two suitcases in a hotel in Times Square. He was adopted by two former school teachers and grew up in Linden, Calif., a small agricultural town about two hours from San Francisco. Now he’s shining in the Big Apple. The unanimous verdict: Judge is good for the game.

Three up, Three down

UP 1. Dodgers: Stars out in abundance in La La Land with a team on pace for 109 victories and running away with the NL West. 2. Brewers: Rookie Jesus Aguilar had seven RBIs vs. Yankees Friday night and Brew Crew still commands NL Central. 3. Red Sox: Former Rockies pitcher Drew Pomeranz is 6-2 with a 2.57 ERA over his past 10 starts.

DOWN

1. Yankees: Despite Aaron Judge’s heroics, there’s unrest in the Bronx after Yanks lose for the 17th time in 23 games.

2. A’s: Stumbling to another last-place finish, Oakland turned to left-hander Chris Smith, who made his first major-league start, at age 36.

3. Phillies: Likely to deal side-arming, right-handed reliever Pat Neshek, who’s in the final season of a two-year, $12.5 million deal. He’s a coveted rental reliever.

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Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu are finally all-stars together. But how long will they remain with the Rockies? “If I want to make plans with DJ,” Blackmon said, “I have to call his wife. He’s a busy guy.”

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 8th, 2017

Charlie Blackmon balked at the idea he might get DJ LeMahieu into trouble, dragging his buddy into some adventure on the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean, baseball heroes with two faces, one of them bearded and bushy and the other dry and quiet.

The core of the Rockies’ middle defense, Blackmon in center field and LeMahieu at second base, could not, on the surface, seem further apart in personality. But in their fifth season together, after weathering the dog years of losing baseball in Colorado, they are finally all-stars together on a winning team.

Blackmon was voted by fans as the starting center fielder for the National League in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic in

Miami. LeMahieu was elected as a backup second baseman by a vote of players and managers. They are two of four

Rockies selected, along with starting and right-handed closer Greg Holland.

There is a day lingering Wednesday in Miami, a spot in the schedule to fill without baseball. And Blackmon’s mind is racing. He has fished the rivers of the western , communed with the animal kingdom, surfed the

Pacific and backpacked through Europe. What might Miami offer for fun for Blackmon and LeMahieu? They have followed the same path even on the side of Georgia highways.

“He’s got some crazy ideas about it,” LeMahieu said. “I’m like, ‘Whoa. How about just an off day?’ ”

Their Oscar-and-Felix routine can only go so far.

“If I want to make plans with DJ,” Blackmon said, “I have to call his wife. He’s a busy guy.”

Through just more half this season, Blackmon, now a two-time all-star, has been among the best hitters in baseball, with more hits and total bases than any other player heading into Friday. He is a rare combination of baseball bona fides: a leadoff hitter with power numbers; a prototypical corner outfielder with smarts enough to defend the expanse of Coors

Field’s center field and someone with a linebacker-looking frame who can steal bases.

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Blackmon ranks first in the NL ad second overall among major-league center fielders in home runs (18) and OPS (on- base plus , at .937). And his wRC+ and WAR, park-adjusted measures of overall offensive production according to Fangraphs, rank him third in the majors.

“I don’t have to be the best hitter. I just never want to be the worst hitter,” Blackmon said. “If I can be consistent and take away those peaks and valleys, you can have a really good feel for hitting.”

Winning the day

Blackmon’s development as an every-day player happened in daily increments, he said. When Blackmon debuted for the

Rockies in 2011, then through 2013, he was a backup behind Dexter Fowler, a second-round pick with potential, but running into a closed door. But the Rockies traded Fowler before having to pay him in free-agency and Blackmon shot onto the NL all-star team in 2014 with a flash first month.

In the three years since, Blackmon added facets to his game that did not previously exist on his scouting report. He stole

43 bases in 2015. He hit 29 home runs in 2016. He leads the league in triples this season.

“Charlie has come into his own,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “Early Charlie was at a (certain) level and he’s taken his game to a really high level. Players should get incrementally better. But Charlie really took off as a talent. He works at it. His daily preparation is really good. It’s not only physical but it’s mental and it’s intellectual, studying pitchers and scouting reports.”

LeMahieu’s trajectory ran parallel. After debuting with the Cubs in 2011, he was traded to Colorado for, among others, third baseman Ian Stewart. He joined a club with established stars in Troy Tulowitki and Todd Helton, a quiet, although unusually large, second baseman in an of all-stars.

He, like Blackmon, learned how to keep improving. His OPS climbed in 2015 and 2016, from .663 to .746 to .911 last year. His rangy defense, which earned him a Gold Glove Award in 2014, propelled LeMahieu onto the all-star team in

2015. But his breakout 2016 season — he won the National League batting title with a .348 average — carried him into a second all-star spot this season, even though a first-month slump dipped his statistics. Heading into Friday he was hitting

.306.

“I try to do my thing,” he said. “I try to play the game the right way, do things right. We have a lot of guys like that around this locker room.” 13

Admired throughout baseball

LeMahieu’s place among the NL comes with some debate among fans. His wRC+ ranked second in the NL last season among full-time second basemen behind Washington’s , whom he nudged for the batting title. His spot as an all-star was earned as a “player’s player.”

“I was on the other side. And I voted for him at some point,” said Black, a former Padres manager. “His ‘beating the other team factor’ will really get you if you’re on the other side. His raw statistics, no. You take every at-bat and the Statcast and the exit velocities and all that, maybe he doesn’t show up. But in the game you need to win, he shows up in that category.

He always shows up.”

In the five years since Blackmon rose from the farm and LeMahieu appeared by trade, the Rockies’ odd couple has solidified the core of the roster, along with Arenado, the kind of young players to build around.

But the Rockies can retain Blackmon and LeMahieu in arbitration only through next season, then both will become a free agent. If Fowler’s exit is an indication, time might be running out on Blackmon and LeMahieu playing together.

“They fit really well together. They take care of business as well as anybody,” veteran right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said.

“Over the years, they matured a lot. Now they’re two-time all-stars. They are becoming special players, not just in this organization, but in all of baseball.”

Two years running

The Rockies have four all-stars this season, in third baseman Nolan Arenado, closer Greg Holland, center fielder Charlie

Blackmon and second baseman DJ LeMahieu. Blackmon and LeMahieu arrived together five seasons ago and their rise over the past two season has put them at the core of Colorado’s roster. How they rank among the National League’s best at their positions since 2016:

NL CENTER FIELDERS

Player, team … Avg. … OPS … WAR

Charlie Blackmon, Rockies … .320 … .934 … 6.3

Ender Inciarte, Braves … .297 … .745 … 6.0

Christian Yelich, Marlins … .289 … .820 … 5.8

Marcell Ozuna, Marlins … .285 … .839 … 5.4

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NL SECOND BASEMEN

Player, team … Avg. … OPS … WAR

Daniel Murphy, Nationals … .344 … .979 … 8.0

Cesar Hernandez, Phillies … .289 … .756 … 5.4

Neil Walker, Mets … .278 … .822 … 5.3

DJ LeMahieu, Rockies … .332 … .849 … 4.9

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Rockies set up the second half, send down Antonio Senzatela, call up Zac Rosscup “Since February, right after the Super Bowl, these guys have been going hard,” Black said.

By Nick Groke / Denver Post | July 8th, 2017

The Rockies on Saturday started to set up their second half, sending down rookie right-hander Antonio Senzatela and calling up lefty reliever Zac Rosscup.

Senzatela’s move isn’t exactly a demotion. The Rockies will set up the 22-year-old to build back into a multi-inning length at Triple-A Albuquerque, pitching him as a starter in a series against the host Las Vegas 51s this week. He was moved to the bullpen more than two weeks ago to help preserve his arm.

Senzatela was suffering from tiredness, his manager said, in his first full season after jumping from an abbreviated

Double-A campaign last year.

After a rest, with just three relief appearances, and after missing three turns in the rotation, he will be back as a starter in

Colorado, likely five days after his appearance for the Isotopes, likely next week.

“When we made that move to put him in the bullpen it was for a couple reasons,” manager Bud Black explained. “His velocity was down a tick and his command suffered his last two starts. This little breather will freshen up his arm and freshen him mentally too.”

In his place on the active roster, the Rockies called up the 29-year-old Rosscup, whom they acquired from the Cubs last month. Originally a 28th-round pick of Tampa Bay’s in 2009, Rosscup appeared once for Chicago this season before being designated for assignment. In three appearances with Albuquerque, he gave up two hits and no runs, with four strikeouts and no walks.

“He has a good arm, a little deception,” Black said. “We like the depth he provides. We’ll see whether he can be a contributor. Talent-wise, I think he can.”

More rest coming? The formula for giving Senzatela a breather to extend his season might translate to other rookie arms on Colorado’s staff, Black said.

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German Marquez, 22, is a candidate for a bullpen stint after his seven-inning outing Friday in a victory over the White Sox.

So too is 24-year-old Kyle Freeland, whose 99 are second-most on the staff, behind veteran Tyler

Chatwood.

“Since February, right after the Super Bowl, these guys have been going hard,” Black said.

Footnotes. Catcher Ryan Hanigan was scratched from the Rockies’ lineup late Friday afternoon before a scheduled start against Chicago. Upper back spasms kept him out of the game, but the injury is not serious, he said, and he does not anticipate a disabled list stint. … Second baseman DJ LeMahieu, who is still regaining speed after a groin injury, was pulled in the late innings Friday, but only for rest, Black said. … Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez did not start again Saturday, his second consecutive game out of the lineup. “The last 15 or so at-bats have not been CarGo-like,” Black said.

Looking ahead

White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (1-1, 1.59 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (8-7, 4.09), Sunday 1:10 p.m., ROOT

TV, 850-AM

It was not his worst outing of the year. But in Freeland’s last start — a loss to the Reds at Coors Field in which he allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings — he took the brunt of his manager’s ire in a long, mid-game meeting on the mound. Freeland then rebounded to retire the next eight batters he faced. Perhaps it was a rookie learning moment. But by statistical measure, Freeland has been Colorado’s second or third best starting pitcher this season. His growth remains key to the Rockies’ second half.

Monday: All-star break

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White Sox 5, Rockies 4: Colorado comes up short in 3 key spots, loses to Chicago Three at bats illustrated the difference in Saturday’s game, with the Rockies on the wrong end of all of them.

By Jordan Freemyer / Purple Row | July 8th, 2017

It isn’t very often when you can pinpoint the exact moment when a team won or lost a game, but you could pinpoint three such moments in the Rockies’ 5-4 loss to the White Sox on Saturday at Coors Field.

The biggest of them came in the top of the ninth in a 4-4 game, Greg Holland got ahead of leadoff hitter Tim

Anderson 1-2 with three sliders, two of which induced whiffs. Instead of another slider, Holland threw a 1-2 fastball that

Anderson took out to center for the game-winning run.

The first of the decisive moments came in the top of the fourth; with the Rockies trailing, 3-2, starter Jeff Hoffman had a man on third and one out with pitcher Jose Quintana, who was 0-for-27 with 16 strikeouts in his career, at the plate.

Hoffman got ahead 0-2 on Quintana with a pair of fastballs, but then hung a curve that Quintana hit solidly enough to left field to be a sacrifice fly, stretching Chicago’s lead to 4-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Rockies had cut the lead to 4-3 and had runners on second and third with one out and Trevor Story at the plate, who could tie the game with a fly ball or even a groundout. Instead, he took four straight fastballs from White Sox reliever Anthony Swarzak, three of which were called strikes, and he was out. Tony

Wolters then grounded out to end the inning.

Five of the game’s seven runs were scored in the first inning, with Chicago scoring three after two were out in the top of the inning thanks to a pair of triples, a walk and a single against Hoffman. The Rockies answered in the bottom half with a leadoff single from Charlie Blackmon and a two-run home run by Nolan Arenado, cutting their deficit to 3-2.

Quintana settled in after the first, with nine of the 12 outs he recorded in the next four innings coming via the . He struck out 10 overall, but that drove up his pitch count and was pulled in the sixth, allowing three runs, all earned, on five

1 hits in 5 ⁄3 innings, walking two with the 10 strikeouts.

The sacrifice fly to Quintana was the only run Hoffman allowed after the three-run first. He pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out two.

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However, neither starter factored in the decision as Mark Reynolds led off the bottom of the eighth against White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle and scored the tying run on a Gerardo Parra sacrifice fly.

The Rockies’ rally in the eighth was all for naught as Chicago took the lead with Anderson’s homer in the top of the ninth and David Robertson, with some help from Sam Holbrook’s magic expanding strike zone, closed out the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Colorado will look to win the series and salvage a winning homestand in tomorrow’s series finale, with Kyle

Freeland taking the mound against Carlos Rodon.

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Colorado Rockies option Antonio Senzatela, call up Zac Rosscup The Rockies shuffled the active roster a bit before Saturday’s game

By Eric Garcia McKinley / Purple Row | July 8th, 2017

The Rockies also made a roster move before today’s game against the , Thomas Harding tweeted.

They called up Zac Rosscup, whom they acquired from the in exchange for last month. To make room, the Rockies optioned Antonio Senzatela. Senzatela made his last start on June 22. He moved to the bullpen after that and has since only appeared in three games. He has two two-inning appearances. He’s looked sharp in all three appearances.

We shouldn’t make too much of this move. Rosscup was already on forty man roster, so the Rockies didn’t have to make a corresponding move in that sense. Because Senzatela hasn’t had a lot of work out of the bullpen lately, they might have just sent him to be sure he gets work in, maybe even a start, before the All-Star break.

If Rosscup makes it into a game either today or tomorrow, it will be his second appearance since the start of the 2016 season.

Senzatela might be in the mix for a rotation spot once he returns. If not, he would thrive in a relief role. Be confident we’ll see him back in purple once play resumes on Friday.

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Colorado Rockies rookie pitchers rely on Bud Black’s experience

By Ben Macaluso / Rox Pile | July 8th, 2017

Nick Vincent is a for the . Now why should you care about a relief pitcher on a team that faces the Colorado Rockies once a decade or so? Back at the end of May when the Mariners visited Denver,

Vincent spoke about how instrumental his former manager was to his big league career. Bud Black is influencing the Rockies young staff, the same way he did with Vincent.

“Buddy is one of those guys that gets guys going the right way. He is not very loud in a lot of ways but when he talks, guys listen. I think he’s done a great job with the young guys over there [with the Rockies],” Vincent said.

Black’s influence can be as simple as recommending the correct outfit. When Vincent was a rookie, he went to a charity event hosted by former Rockies closer Houston Street. The righty showed up in a shirt and shorts while the rest of his teammates were dressed like they were modeling for GQ.

The next day, Black took him to the side and said ‘Vincent, what did you you learn last night?’ Vincent responded that he didn’t dress the right way. His manager said ‘remember this. It’s always better to be over dressed than underdressed.’ The statement is part of a process that he imparts on his pitching staff.

Vincent (who pitched for Black between 2012-2015) said Buddy helped him pitch by putting him in the right situations.

“He kind of just taught me how to be a player,” Vincent said. “How to treat people right and how to act the right way. I try to incorporate those things in teaching these young guys on my team. I think he put me in the right situation. He knew when your confidence was high and when it was low. If you were feeling good he put you in big situation. That was good experience for me at a young age.”

When Black hear’s Vincent’s name he smiles and exclaims he is a huge Nick Vincent fan. Young pitchers are special to him, especially on his current team who have one of the best record in franchise history before the All-Star break partly due to the early success of his rookie pitchers. Part of the reason these young Rockies pitchers are performing far past their service level, is the preparation and process Black establishes for them.

“What I tell these guys every time they take the field, and also the four days in between, if I’m just talking about young pitchers in general, it’s a learning experience. You learn from being out there,” Black said. 21

“The trick is when you learn something, apply it. Have the ability to apply it as quickly as possible. So that the learning curve is a little shorter. Because all guys want to get to a certain level of performance. The quicker you can learn something and have the aptitude and the skill and the ability to apply it in the game, that’s learning and that’s what we talk about all the time. The mistakes that are made or the things that you’ve learned, make sure that you can apply those moving forward. That’s sort of the daily message.”

With Vincent, that message was proper attire. In Kyle Freeland’s last start he learned from his lack of command. Black visited Freeland on the mound in his July 4th start and asked the entire infield to go back to their positions. The Denver native was struggling with command down 4-1. While the Rockies lost the game, whatever Black said worked as he retired eight straight batters. Black’s influence on these pitchers garners results.

“He let’s you know where to put your focus at no matter what happens. To him as a pitcher, as a manager, he’s thinking like we are. He knows what we’re going through so he can relate to us.”

“We have a lot of young guys but for him, with us, he’s letting us work the way we were working in the minor leagues and how we found success. He’s been able to go along with it and when he sees things he will let us know and he’ll talks to us. Right now he’s letting us learn on our own.”

Black is also letting his pitchers learn from rest. After a stint in the bullpen, the Rockies win-leader Antonio Senzatela will make his first start in Triple-A. He has gone 2-3 with a 8.54 ERA from May 21 – June 22. Senzatela said he needs to improve on keeping his fastball and breaking ball down.

“[Black’s] plan is the best plan they have for me. [It’s a chance to] stay relaxed and comeback for a start. I’m good with that,” Senzatela said. “[Bud’s] got a lot of experience. He taught me how to stay focused on what the batter is doing and throw a quality pitch.”

Jeff Hoffman echoes the advantage that having a former major-league pitcher as manager.

“It’s obviously a huge advantage for us to have somebody like Buddy. He speaks from his own experiences,” Hoffman said. “Maybe [former manager] Walt [Weiss] didn’t really have those experiences because he was never on the mound, he was an . It just one of those things where we are lucky to have him and to be able to learn from someone

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else’s experiences. Just knowing that they’ve gone through it and know what they’re talking about it’s a good piece of mind.”

In his last start before the All-Star break, Hoffman started off slow with a lack of command but went seven innings and kept his team in the game. Black commended him for not cracking and pitching his best towards the end of the start.

That improvement has mirrored Hoffman’s career in the majors so far. He got off to a slow start but going back to the minors to start this season but he has showed his resiliency by being himself.

“I think I’ve gotten a lot of good stuff from [Black] over the first half. I think the main thing is at the beggining of the year when I was going up and down it was just one of those things where he kind of was giving me that confidence that you know you’re one of us. You belong here. Just be you. If you be you enough times, maybe you’ll get to stay. It’s just one of those things where I just believe in myself and I have the trust in him.”

Bud isn’t these young pitchers’ buddy. He is something far more important. He is their mentor. Helping them to exhibit their personalities and learn from their experiences is Black’s greatest asset to this Rockies young pitching staff.

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Colorado Rockies morning after: Emotions boil in final frame meltdown

By Kevin Henry / Rox Pile | July 8th, 2017

Nobody with a press credential asked Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black about the elephant in the room on Saturday night after his Rockies had dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 decision to the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. Nobody needed to. The frustration was still very evident in his tone and mannerisms.

Black and Charlie Blackmon were ejected in the bottom of the ninth inning, capping a foul final frame on so many levels.

Nobody asked what was said that got the duo kicked out. Nobody needed to.

Battling from behind all night, the Rockies finally tied the game in the eighth inning. A towering triple from Mark Reynolds.

A sacrifice fly from Gerardo Parra to score him and knot the game. Greg Holland coming in to pitch the ninth. It was setting up to be another magical night at Coors Field, reminiscent of earlier in the season when the Rockies were rolling along.

Only the White Sox flipped the script … and then the Rockies flipped out. Tim Anderson blasted a 1-2 pitch from Holland into the nature scene beyond the center field wall. Suddenly, the South Siders had the momentum and the energy that had been so present in the stadium just moments before was suddenly gone.

As disappointing as the top of the ninth was for the Rockies, the bottom of the frame was as equally frustrating. With one out in the inning, a questionable strike call on a full count eliminated Blackmon … and Chuck Nazty was having no part of it. He gave home plate umpire Sam Holbrook an earful before being tossed, then Blackmon did some tossing of his own, slamming his helmet and bat into the turf before disappearing into the dugout.

Black wasn’t far behind, letting Holbrook know his thoughts before he was tossed as well. Boos rained down as frustration set in.

Carlos Gonzalez came on to pinch hit as Colorado’s final hope. Holbrook called the first pitch thrown to him as a strike even though it was nowhere near the zone. Two pitches later, CarGo had struck out and the game was over.

The Rockies went out with a roar on Saturday night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t with their bats.

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White Sox pitchers racked up 15 strikeouts on Saturday. Blackmon’s final punchout gave him three on the night, just like

Trevor Story. DJ LeMahieu was the only starter to not have a strikeout on an evening where Colorado’s offense seemed to have its chances, but simply couldn’t connect when needed.

Now Colorado will look to a Sunday matinee to earn a series win heading into the All-Star break. It will be a short night for

Holland, Blackmon and the Rockies to put Saturday’s frustration out of their minds.

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Pitcher Antonio Senzatela Optioned to AAA Albuquerque

By Noah Yingling / Rox Pile | July 8th, 2017

Senzatela was in the bullpen for the Rockies for the past two weeks.

According to a Rockies press release, the Rockies right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela will be optioned to AAA

Albuquerque before the start of today’s game against the Colorado Rockies. He was optioned when relief pitcher Zac

Rosscup was recalled from Albuquerque.

Senzatela in his first seven starts

Senzatela made 15 starts before he was sent to the bullpen. In his starts, he went 9-3 with a 4.79 ERA and 88 1/3 innings pitched. His first seven, though, were excellent as he was (through May 9) 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA and he averaged 6 1/3 innings a start. His opponent’s only had a batting average of .228, an on-base percentage of .284, a slugging percentage of of .386, a BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) of .239.

Senzatela’s last eight starts

He made his last start on June 22 against the in which he allowed nine runs in only five innings of work. That start was the sixth out of his last eight that he allowed four earned runs or more. It was also his fifth start in his previous eight that he did not last more than five innings. In his following eight starts, he went 4-2 with a 6.70 ERA and he averaged a little less than 5 2/3 innings per start. His opponent’s slash line was .286/.349/.520, and a BABIP of .311.

Senzatela in the bullpen

In the Rockies’ past 14 games, they had only used Senzatela three times but overall, he pitched well. He pitched in five innings and only allowed one hit and one run (both of them were allowed in the Rockies’ win yesterday, as recapped by our own Kevin Henry here.

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Final thoughts

I published an article earlier today talking about how Senzatela will, after the All-Star break, probably return to the starting rotation. This will still be the case as Senzatela will not be down in Albuquerque for long. I suspect, especially with the All-Star break coming up this week and with Senzatela being a rookie, the Rockies’ are doing this to reduce his MLB service time. If he’s down in the minor leagues for just two weeks, the Rockies’ will get another year of service time with him (the whole explanation of service time is explained in this article from MLB.com in 2015 about the Chicago Cubs keeping Kris Bryant down in the minor leagues at the beginning of the season). So this is not a surprising move by the

Rockies. In fact, it’s a smart one.

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Greg Holland suffers first Rockies loss on ninth-inning home run

By MHS Staff / Mile High Sports | July 9th, 2017

Rockies All-Star closer Greg Holland (1-1, 1.62 ERA) suffered his first loss in a Rockies uniform Saturday night. On in a tie game, the MLB saves leader surrendered a ninth-inning home run in a 5-4 defeat to the Chicago White Sox. It is only the second home run Holland has allowed over 33.1 innings pitched this season, and the second by Tim Anderson in as many nights.

Holland was in to pitch the ninth inning after Colorado scored a run off Tommy Kahnle (1-3, 2.65) in the eighth to tie the game at four. The White Sox jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the first inning and stayed in front by at least a run all game until

Mark Reynolds tripled and Gerardo Parra drove him in to level things heading to the ninth. Parra also had a double in the sixth inning to drive in DJ LeMahieu in the sixth to bring Colorado to within one.

Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman allowed a pair of triples, a walk and a single in the game’s opening frame to put the White

Sox up 3-0 early. Nolan Arenado responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning off Jose Quintana to keep things within one. Quintana had a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to help his own cause.

The Rockies and White Sox play their final game before the All-Star break on Sunday to decide the series. Colorado’s 51 wins are the most before the All-Star break in franchise history, however, the red-hot and persistent

Arizona Diamondbacks each sit above Colorado in the standings. Kyle Freeland (8-7, 4.09) will try and grab the rubber match of the series for Colorado. Carlos Rodon (1-1, 1.59) will be on the mound for Chicago.

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Rosscup joins Rockies as Senzatela gets optioned to Triple-A

By Alissa Noe / Mile High Sports | July 9th, 2017

Shortly after moving Antonio Senzatela to the bullpen, the Colorado Rockies have optioned him to Triple-A and called up recently acquired left-handed pitcher Zac Rosscup.

“I think that when we made that move to put [Senzatela] in the bullpen, that primarily was for a couple reasons,” manager

Bud Black said. “We felt at that point that his velocity was down a tick, his command was suffering a little bit those last few starts. We felt that taking a step back and taking a little bit of the blow in the bullpen would be beneficial for him and for the team. He’s made a couple outings, has pitched well, but I think this little breather hopefully will freshen up the arm and also mend him a little bit. He’s been going hard since early February.”

In their efforts to give Senzatela a much-needed break, Black said that he and his staff are comfortable with their newest addition to their pitching staff, Rosscup, given his vast history of pitching professionally.

Rosscup, 29, was drafted by the in 2009 and was traded to the Chicago Cubs two years later, where he bounced around from the bigs to the minors. Just last week, the Rockies acquired him in exchange for Matt Carasiti, four days after Chicago designated him for assignment again.

“This guy’s pitched in the big leagues, and this guy’s got a good arm,” Black said. “He’s got good stuff and he’s got a little bit of deception. Our scouts like him. When this deal was made, I think, organizationally, we felt good about it. We’ll see.

He’s part of our group, we like the depth that he provides moving forward. We’ll see how it plays out, whether he can be a contributor, which I think talent-wise he can be at some point.”

In his extremely short stint with the Triple-A , Rosscup said he already likes what he sees from the

Rockies organization, and is excited to start the next chapter of his career.

“It’s been great, honestly,” Rosscup said. “Everybody in Albuquerque was really welcoming, there’s a great group of guys down there. The coaching staff is amazing. It was really nice to get a change of scenery, kind of start fresh with the new organization.”

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It couldn’t have happened at a better time for him both professionally and personally, given how the ball club has been performing this season and a more special reason that’ll take another month to come to full fruition.

“My wife is pregnant, she’s eight months,” Rosscup said. “It’s nice [getting the call-up now]. It’s kind of rolling into a series of events – getting called up, having a baby, all that stuff. And then we’re buying a house also this offseason, so it’s one thing after another. It’s just exciting and I’m all for it,” Rosscup said. “I’m excited to help come compete, do what I can to help the ball club and win ballgames.”

Although his time with the Isotopes barely counted, Rosscup said he still enjoyed the experience.

“It wasn’t too bad going from Des Moines to Albuquerque, I mean Albuquerque’s kind of a smaller city,” Rosscup said. “It’s nice, games are a big deal over there. They get a lot of fans every night, so that was a lot of fun, coming into the stadium when we sell out and have a good crowd.”

Although he’s struggled a bit throughout his career with a 5.32 ERA and just 47.1 innings in 62 games, he believes he’s found his path to success down the road with his new team.

“This season I’ve been facing a lot of righties, so I’m used to it,” he said.” It’s definitely a good thing to work on. I haven’t had a lot of success in the big leagues as the numbers show, but I think I’m having better success now that I have an actual plan of attack.”

Although he’s not entirely sure what his role will be, he said he’s flexible with wherever they end up throwing him.

“I’m here to do what they want me to do and do whatever I can,” Rosscup said. “If they tell me to go in in the first inning or the ninth inning, I’m ready. I’m just here to try to do my job and compete and put myself in a position to have success with the club.”

As for Senzatela, Black said he’s not worried about the young right-hander’s progression from here on out, and thinks that the time off will end up being very beneficial for him in the long run.

“I think it will be a good break for Senza these next couple days, being a little light and having a couple days off during the

All-Star,” Black said. “He’ll resume with Albuquerque here in the next week.”

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Quintana quells Rockies’ brief offensive breakout

By Jake Shapiro / BSN Denver | July 9th, 2017

DENVER – In front of scouts and a sellout, José Quintana took the mound in a showcase for the other 29 MLB clubs that may be interested in acquiring him. The White Sox starter did not disappoint. Displaying beautiful command of his breaking pitches and a ton of consistency Quintana mowed-down 10 Colorado Rockies in five-and-a-third of work en route to a 5-4 Chicago win.

After a 12 run Saturday many, including myself, declared the Rockies offense as back. But sour clutch hitting and the inability to string hits together once again appeared as the team’s offensive output disappeared.

Combine that with an unfortunate ninth and a bunch left on base and the Rockies were back in the rut.

It was a good start for Jeff Hoffman, until it wasn’t. He retired the first two he faced then gave up a triple to Jose Abreu, he gave the intentional non-intentional free pass to Todd Frazier and Yolmer Sanchez tripled the pair in. Kevan

Smith followed through with a hit of his own leaving the Sox with three before the Rockies came to the dish.

The Rockies got right back with a leadoff single from Charlie Blackmon followed by a two-run 403 foot shot into the fading summer’s light.

A leadoff single from Tim Anderson started the fourth he was promptly picked off which was huge for the Rockies because Willy Garcia tripled just a few pitches later. He came around on a sacrifice and stretched the score to 4-2.

Going backward the Rockies stranded a leadoff double in the second, then they would do the same with a single in the third. The sixth was set up with this narrative out.

Quintana surrendered a leadoff walk to DJ LeMahieu then another with one out to Mark Reynolds. Gerardo Parra knocked the ball and knocked the runners around scoring LeMahieu and knocking out Quintana. A beautiful fastball on the outside corner thrown by the relieving Anthony Swarzak. An intentional walk made them loaded for Tony Wolters with two away, he grounded to second, grounding the Rockies rally at just one run.

Two innings later Reynolds led off with a triple off the right field wall that Alen Hansonstruggled to play. The next batter, Parra, brought him home on a sacrifice. Tapia check-swing-rolled one up the third base line then took second.

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Wolters had one more two-out chance to come through. For the second time, he grounded to the right side for an easy out.

Greg Holland came in to pitch the tied up ninth since it was a home affair, the first batter which was Tim Anderson took him deep to straightaway center for his ninth blast of the season and a one run Sox lead that David Robertson would protect. Blackmon and Bud Black were ejected in the ninth inning for arguing a borderline pitch.

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Rossc(alled)-up: Rockies promote lefty, option Antonio Senzatela

By Jake Shapiro / BSN Denver | July 9th, 2017

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies have added another left-hander to their bullpen. Zac Rosscup, who was traded to the club from the Chicago Cubs last month, has been called-up. Rookie right-hander Antonio Senzatela was optioned to

Triple-A Albuquerque.

At 29, Rosscup will provide Colorado with another lefty option. He has been a menace to left-handed hitting, holding them to a .162/.303/.284 slash line over 45-plus innings in the bigs. He has spent most of 2017 at Triple-A, posting 17 solid appearances for Iowa with a 12.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 2.60 ERA. For the Isotopes, he’s thrown 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball.

“This year I think I’ve faced mostly righties,” Rosscup said. “It’s a good thing to work on I haven’t had great success against righties in the bigs but I think I’m doing better now and I have a better plan of attack. I’m not doing anything different but I’m approaching it differently.”

“From Clackamas, OR, he’s an Oregonian, he’s from the Northwest! He’s got a leg up,” Washington born Rockies manager Bud Black said. “This guy has pitched in the big leagues he has a good arm and some deception. We like the depth he provides moving forward.”

The Rockies have Jake McGee and Mike Dunn in the backend right now as well as Chris Rusin in many different roles, all lefties.

“No it’s no possible (to have too many lefties in a bullpen),” Black said. “Would you have asked ‘is it possible to have any too many righties?’ But it probably is to be honest, but it’s nice to have a balance. It really comes down to how good your eight guys are total and I would rather have four and four than seven and one.”

Rosscup has a fastball-slider mix, topping out at around 94 mph and sitting 92 mph.

While Rosscup will round out the bullpen, the demotion for Senzatela may come as a shock at first. But at second glance optioning one of the best rookie pitchers in the NL around the All-Star Break makes perfect sense.

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Becuase the way service time works a player can accumulate 172 days of service in a season and that is known as a full season. However, there is 183 days in a big league season so in order to not accumulate a full year of service you need to be in the minors for two or more weeks. The reason why this is important is because a player becomes a free agent after six full years of service time. Therefore rookies often get called up a few weeks into the season or get called down at the break so they miss the least amount of games in the majors as possible.

“His velocity was down a tick, he suffered in a few of his last starts, we felt him taking a step back would be better for him and the team,” Black said. “little breather both with the arm and mentality will freshen him up a bit.

“This will be a good break for him. We’ll have him be a little light during the break then he’ll go to Albuquerque and get a start.”

Senzatela has a 4.63 ERA in 18 games, 15 starts. He leads the Rockies in wins with nine and he only has three losses.

He’s recently been coming out of the bullpen but long-term he is a starter. Senzatella has never pitched in Triple-A he was promoted straight from Double-A out of spring training. It has been rumored that he is on a pitch count and that would make sense since the 22-year-old had only made seven starts above High-A before 2017.

As for the other young starters and if we’ll see this with them Black said, “potentially.”

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Rockies Look for Revival

By Tracy Ringolsby / Inside the Seams | July 9th, 2017

The Rockies have been fortunate. They got off to such a strong start this season that despite an 18-day slide they near the All-Star Break still in control of their own post-season possibility. Oh, the Dodgers are running away from the rest of the NL West, but the Rockies are in control of the second NL wild-card spot. They went into Sunday 6 1/2 games up on the defending world champion Cubs.

NL Wild-Card Standings

Team W L Pct GB

D-Backs 53 35 0.6 3

Rockies 51 39 0.57 –

Cubs 43 44 0.49 6.5

Braves 42 44 0.49 7

Cardinals 42 45 0.48 7.5

Pirates 41 47 0.47 9

Marlins 40 46 0.47 9

Mets 39 46 0.46 9.5

Reds 38 49 0.44 12

Padres 38 49 0.44 12

Giants 34 55 0.38 17

Phillies 28 58 0.33 21

That, however, doesn’t cover up the fact that in the since June 21 they have gone from first place in the NL West to third,

9 1/2 a Dodger team that has put together the best record in baseball during the same stretch in which the

Rockies have the worst record in baseball.

Worst Records Since June 21 Best Records Since June 21

Team W L Pct Team W L Pct

Rockies 4 13 .235 Dodgers 14 3 .824

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Orioles 6 11 .353 Astros 11 5 .688

Phillies 6 11 .353 Padres 10 5 .667

Tigers 6 10 .375 Brewers 11 6 .647

Mariners 6 10 .375 Braves 10 6 .625

Cubs 7 10 .412 Royals 10 6 .625

White Sox 7 10 .412 Red Sox 10 7 .588

Angels 7 10 .412 Indians 10 7 .588

Yankees 7 10 .412 Cardinals 10 8 .556

Blue Jays 7 10 .412 Mets 8 7 .533

Rays 8 7 .533

And it has been a team struggle that has led to the Rockies struggles.

The Rockies had the fourth lowest ERA in the NL through June 20, but since then the ERA has jumped from 4.11 to 6.20, the highest in MLB, and the batting average allowed has climbed to a highest-in-the-NL .298.

Since June 21 (highest) Before June 20 (lowest)

Team ERA AVG Team ERA AVG

Rockies 6.20 .298 Dodgers 3.38 .229

Reds 5.42 .284 Diamondbacks 3.44 .237

Giants 4.94 .288 Cubs 4.06 .241

Marlins 4.71 .257 Rockies 4.11 .249

Braves 4.7 .262 Cardinals 4.14 .249

Mets 4.44 .260 Nationals 4.18 .250

Nationals 4.09 .239 Brewers 4.29 .260

Cubs 4.04 .241 Pirates 4.34 .268

Pirates 3.64 .253 Marlins 4.56 .247

Padres 3.56 .253 Giants 4.59 .273

Cardinals 3.55 .261 Braves 4.6 .259

Phillies 3.5 .218 Padres 4.82 .259

Diamondbacks 3.35 .227 Phillies 4.97 .279

Brewers 3.22 .230 Mets 5.01 .272

Dodgers 2.25 .200 Reds 5.03 .257

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Meanwhile, the offense has gone from the top of the NL to the bottom, as well.

Since June 21 Before June 20

Team R AVG Team R AVG

Cardinals 96 .256 Nationals 397 .276

Brewers 95 .269 Rockies 387 .275

Dodgers 88 .259 Dodgers 370 .256

Diamondbacks 83 .246 Diamondbacks 362 .263

Nationals 79 .278 Brewers 351 .251

Reds 76 .255 Reds 346 .261

Giants 75 .246 Mets 337 .247

Braves 73 .242 Cubs 330 .239

Marlins 71 .266 Marlins 329 .269

Mets 69 .263 Braves 327 .269

Cubs 66 .236 Pirates 304 .248

Rockies 64 .241 Cardinals 300 .254

Phillies 61 .243 Giants 271 .241

Pirates 60 .209 Phillies 264 .241

Padres 53 .228 Padres 258 .227

Source for charts: Stats, Inc.

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Anderson homer in 9th lifts White Sox past Rockies 5-4

By Associated Press / ESPN.com | July 9th, 2017

DENVER -- Tim Anderson was looking for another fastball. And, when it came, there was no getting it by him.

Anderson homered off Colorado closer Greg Holland leading off the ninth inning, lifting the Chicago White Sox past the

Rockies 5-4 on Saturday night.

"I never got off the heater," said Anderson, whose parents and siblings were in the stands watching the game. "All the time I thought he was going to throw the heater in. I was onto the heater."

Anderson, who also hit a home run in Friday night's loss to Colorado, drove a 1-2 pitch from Holland (1-1) into the stand of evergreens beyond the center-field wall for his ninth home run of the season.

"His family was here and he's been playing pretty loose and been pretty happy. Nice to see the look on his face, and playing with a little more joy," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He hit a homer in each of the last two days. Both went to center. This one tonight was a very big one."

Holland said he had hoped to put the fastball low and away, but it wound up belt-high and right over the plate.

"It's one of those situations where it was more of a mental mistake than a physical one," Holland said. "You can't do that with two strikes. It's easier to deal with when you just get beat, but when you feel like you completely goofed, it's a different story. I threw a pitch in the middle of the plate ahead in the count in a tie ballgame. I didn't deserve to get out of there without a run and it unfortunately cost us tonight."

The win snapped a three-game losing streak by the White Sox and denied the Rockies' bid for successive wins for the first time in three weeks.

David Robertson pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save, striking out the last two batters, including Charlie Blackmon on a disputed called third strike. Blackmon heatedly argued the call with plate umpire Sam Holbrook, claiming it was low, and threw his helmet and bat to the ground after getting tossed. Manager Bud Black also was ejected for arguing the call with

Holbrook.

Trailing 4-3 in the eighth, Colorado evened the score when Mark Reynolds hit a leadoff triple off reliever Tommy

Kahnle (1-3) and scored on Gerardo Parra's sacrifice fly.

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After Willy Garcia hit a one-out triple in the fourth, pitcher Jose Quintana lifted a sacrifice fly to left to give the White Sox a

4-2 lead.

Colorado pulled within a run in the sixth. Quintana issued a pair of walks around striking out Nolan Arenado, who homered earlier. Parra hit a one-out RBI double and Quintana was relieved by Anthony Swarzak, who got out of the jam by striking out Trevor Story and inducing a groundout from Tony Wolters.

Quintana finished with 10 strikeouts, tying a season high, and allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Jeff Hoffman went seven innings for Colorado, allowing four runs on seven hits.

The White Sox jumped on Hoffman for three runs in the first, hitting two of their three triples in the game. With two outs, Jose Abreu tripled off the right-field wall before Todd Frazier walked. Yolmer Sanchez followed by tripling over the head of center fielder Blackmon. Kevan Smith singled Sanchez home.

The Rockies responded in their half of the first when Arenado drove Quintana's 2-2 offering 15 rows into the left field bleachers for his 17th homer, a two-run shot, and his second homer in as many games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia was held out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive game to rest a bruised right middle finger. The team's lone All-Star, Garcia is expected to be back in the lineup Sunday, the final game before the All-

Star break.

Rockies: Slumping OF Carlos Gonzalez was out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive game. Gonzalez, batting

.217, has struggled at the plate in between his first stint on the disabled list in three years. He struck out as a pinch hitter in the ninth for the game's final out. Gonzalez spent 1 1/2 weeks on the DL for a shoulder injury before being reinstated

Monday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (1-1, 1.59 ERA), who had 10 strikeouts in beating Oakland last time out, is slated to make his first career appearance against the Rockies.

Rockies: Rookie LHP Kyle Freeland (8-7, 4.09 ERA) has gone 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three previous starts this season against American League teams with wins against Minnesota, Seattle and Cleveland.

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Rockies option rookie pitcher Antonio Senzatela to minors

By Associated Press / ESPN.com | July 9th, 2017

DENVER -- The Colorado Rockies optioned Antonio Senzatela to their Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque on Saturday in hopes the move helps the rookie right-hander get back on track.

Lefty reliever Zac Rosscup was recalled from Albuquerque to fill the roster vacancy.

Senzatela leads major league rookies with nine victories. He burst on the scene by winning seven of his first eight decisions, though he has cooled off in recent weeks and last month was moved from the rotation to the bullpen.

Manager Bud Black said Senzatela has been in an all-out grind since early February in a determined bid to make the team and that the intense workload may have caught up a bit with the young pitcher in his most recent outings.

"We felt that his velocity was down a tick, and his command was suffering a little bit," Black said. "We felt that maybe taking a step back, maybe taking a little bit of a blow would be beneficial for him and the team."

Black noted that Senzatela, who is 9-3 with a 4.63 ERA, would have a few days off before returning to a starting role next week for Albuquerque. He said he fully anticipates Senzatela rejoining the Rockies in the near future.

"I think this little breather hopefully will freshen up the arm and also mentally a little bit," Black said. "He's been going hard really since early February."

Rosscup gives the Rockies another left-handed option in the bullpen. He was acquired June 26 from the Chicago Cubs for right-handed reliever Matt Carasiti.

Since the trade, Rosscup has pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings for Albuquerque with four strikeouts.

"He's got a good arm, good stuff, a little bit of deception," Black said. "When this deal was made, organizationally, we felt good about it. He's part of our group. We like the depth that he provides moving forward."

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