Rockies need answers after dropping both games of series to the Houston Astros

Colorado Rockies

Denver, CO – Rockies’ starting pitcher Peter Lambert delivered a serviceable performance which was followed up by quality relief pitching. After he was pulled in the 4th inning giving up 4 runs and 2 homeruns, relievers Chad Bettis, Jairo Diaz, and Wade Davis kept the Houston Astros from tacking on to their lead.

Despite the solid performance by Colorado’s relivers, the offense hit hard balls in the wrong spots and simply were unable to get runners across the plate.

Colorado had a great opportunity in the 1st inning when Astros starting pitcher, Wade Miley, couldn’t find the strike zone. Miley walked Blackman and Story to start the game, throwing 10 balls on 13 pitches. Nolan Arenado had an opportunity to put the Rockies ahead on a 3-0 pitch but popped it up for an infield fly.

Arenado is always given the green light in any count and in any situation. On the at-bat, manager Bud Black said, “We trust Nolan, an all-star player, one of the best players in the game to be selective on the 3-0 and it was just a touch up, probably being a little over-aggressive. In that situation, he’s going to get a fastball. We’re hoping he’s going to get a fastball right there where he’s going to hit a 3-run homerun.”

Ian Desmond shot a single up the middle to score Blackmon but two more flyouts put Miley out of the jam. It was clear that the Rockies ought to have capitalized on Wade Miley who was struggling heavily to find the strike zone. The batters seemed to force the issue rather than letting Miley prove he can throw a strike that inning.

From that inning on, Miley found the zone and went on to complete 6 innings giving up just the one run and putting his relievers in a position to close out the game.

Lambert gave up one more homerun in the 2nd to Yuli Gurriel, who hit 3 total homers in the quick series. What turned out to be the winning runs for the Astros came off the bat of Josh Reddick who launched one into center field with the bases loaded. Center Fielder Desmond either misjudged or played it too casually and the ball landed right over his head on the warning track, scoring two runs and making it 4-1.

Unfortunately for the Rockies, their offense couldn’t muster anything but one run in the 7th inning where Ryan McMahon led off with a double to be then driven home by Charlie Blackman on a single through the shift.

Bud Black isn’t rattled by this loss because his main concern is his 13 pitchers in the rotation and bullpen did their job tonight. With 4 all-star hitters in their lineup, there is an upside to their gameplay heading into the break.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Rockies as they head to Arizona for a 3-game series starting tomorrow at 7:10 pm MST. At a 44-42 record at the half-way point of the season, fans may be concerned if they can turn it around in the second-half and get solid positioning in the wild card race. As for the Astros, there are sitting at the top of the AL West in a comfortable position. They will head back home to take on the Los Angeles Angels who are starting to gain ground in the wild card race, with two teams ahead of them in their own division.

Written by Paul Fritz

Image Credit: Matthew Dirksen / Colorado Rockies)

Share This Story:

Related Content