Game 1: The Rockies called on Eddie Butler to take the mound in the series opener and despite some borderline laughable baserunning mishaps, Butler made a quality start, going six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He struck out and walked three while earning a No Decision.
Cincinnati drew first blood in the fourth inning when the Reds’ All Star third baseman Todd Frazier drove in Brandon Phillips with his 29th double of the year. Ivan De Jesus followed in the inning with an RBI two-bagger of his own to make the score 3-0.
The Rox answered in the fifth, cutting the deficit to one courtesy of an RBI triple by catcher Nick Hundley that scored first baseman Ben Paulsen. Outfielder Charlie Blackmon added another run when he plated Hundley with an RBI single to center field.
In the sixth, Carlos Gonzalez tied things up with his 15th homer of the year, a solo shot to right field off the Reds’ Anthony DeSclafani.
Cincy took a 4-3 lead in the eighth, getting a run off of LaTroy Hawkins. It was the first earned run Hawkins had allowed since June 15.
But the Rockies answered and took a 5-4 lead after CarGo launched his second home run of the game and Paulsen scored Nolan Arenado with a sacrifice fly.
Closer John Axford came in to shut the door on the Reds in the ninth, but he allowed a game-tying solo home run to the Reds’ Joey Votto. Luckily for him, Charlie Blackmon wasn’t in the mood for extra innings on Friday.
Blackmon got on board with a bunt single and proceeded to swipe second base. He was initially ruled out, but Rockies’ skipper Walt Weiss challenged the play and it was overturned. After DJ LeMahieu grounded out to second base, allowing Blackmon to advance to third, a wild pitch by Reds’ pitcher Ryan Mattheus allowed Blackmon to score and win the game for Colorado.
Axford earned the win for the Rockies, despite blowing the save opportunity.
Game 2: Rockies 2, Reds 5- One tough inning led to the demise of the Rockies in a frustrating loss that was Game 2. Chris Rusin took the hill for Colorado. He ran into trouble in the third, allowing consecutive singles to the Reds’ Billy Hamilton and Phillips. Votto plated Hamilton with an RBI single and after that, with two men on, Todd Frazier came up to bat and crushed his 27th homer of the year, making the score 4-0.
Rusin would earn a loss in the contest. He went five innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on ten hits.
Hamilton would score another run in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Votto. After Hamilton was at first called out, a successful challenge by the Reds overturned the call and made the score 5-0.
Colorado could not get to the Reds’ ace (well, their former ace, now that he has been traded to Kansas City) Johnny Cueto. He blanked the Rox for eight innings en route to his seventh victory of the year.
The Rockies’ offense fell silent until the ninth inning. LeMahieu led off with a single, and CarGo advanced him to third with a single of his own. Pinch hitter Daniel Descalso scored LeMahieu with an RBI groundout, and later after Gonzalez advanced to third on a balk by Reds’ pitcher Jumbo Diaz, an error by Cincy’s shortstop Eugenio Suarez on a routine grounder hit by Corey Dickerson allowed CarGo to score and put the Rox within three.
Dia was relieved by the Reds’ lights out closer Aroldis Chapman. Michael McKenry came in to pinch hit but grounded out, ending the game.
Game 3: Rockies 17, Reds 7- The Rox steamrolled the Reds in Game 3 behind a ten run third inning and huge days from Carlos Gonzalez and Ben Paulsen.
Kyle Kendrick (4-11) earned the win for the Rockies, despite giving up six runs in five innings of work.
The Rockies and the Reds played a teeter totter-esque first few innings. Colorado put up two in the first to open up the scoring thanks to a two run triple by Paulsen. The Reds answered in the second and cut the deficit to one before taking the lead in the third inning behind Jay Bruce’s 16th homer of the year, a three run jack to put the Reds up 4-2.
But the Rockies offense delivered and delivered some more. In the ten run third inning, the Rockies sent 13 batters to the box. CarGo opened up the inning with an RBI single and later scored when Arenado launched his 25th long ball of the year. Gonzalez would go 3-4 with six RBIs, four runs scored, and two home runs. After Sunday’s game, CarGo’s batting average sits at .270, the highest it’s been since April 11.
Ben Paulsen had himself a day as well. He also jacked two homers, and added a triple, a single, and four RBIs in the win.
The Reds would get two back in the fifth and another in the ninth, but after the third inning, the game was over. The Rockies offense, led by a surging Carlos Gonzalez, came through big time and torched the Reds in the final game of the series.
All 17 of the Rockies runs came off of RBIs- not one unearned run was charged to a Cincinnati pitcher.
Contact CU Independent Rockies Beat Writer Justin Guerriero at justin.guerriero@colorado.edu and follow him on Twitter @TheHungry_Hippo
