Reds 7, Rockies 2: Not enough offense (again)

After sweeping the New York Mets over the weekend, the Colorado Rockies hoped to continue on their winning track in Game 1 against the Cincinnati Reds. However, it was not to be as the Rockies, despite getting on base throughout the game, could never manage to bring runners home and lost the series opener, 7-2.

Edouard Julien powers an offense that can’t finish the job

The Reds took the lead in the first inning on a weird bloop single from Elly De La Cruz that scored Dane Myers. Spencer Steer followed that up with a two-run homer, and the Rockies were down 3-0 as the first inning ended.

(FWIW, Steer is now 3-for-8 against Kyle Freeland.) Making matters worse, it took Freeland 31 pitches to get out of the inning.

“Not a good first inning for us after sweeping the Mets,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game.

The Rockies got their first hit in the second inning with a Tyler Freeman lead-off single, but nothing came of it.

Also, I would not be doing my job if I did not share with you this De La Cruz defensive gem:

The Rockies got on the board in the third when Edouard Julien, who walked in the first inning, hit a lead-off home run, making the score 3-1.

The Reds re-established their three-run lead in the bottom of the third, however, when De La Cruz tallied his second RBI of the night, and the score was 4-1.

Julien struck again in the fifth inning when he hit an RBI single to bring home Jake McCarthy, and made the score 4-2.

The Rockies tried to rally in the sixth with runners on second and the third with one out following a Troy Johnston double, but they were unable to capitalize.

The sixth inning was the last for Chase Burns. He finished the evening with 6.0 IP, giving up two runs (both earned) on seven hits. He struck out nine and allowed one walk. After that, the Reds went to their bullpen, which finished the job Burns had started.

The Reds did not score again until the eighth inning when De La Cruz hit a two-run homer, which put the Rockies behind 6-2.

It was another stellar outing for De La Cruz who finished the evening going 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI.

After that, the Reds continued to get hits, and by the time the eighth inning ended, the score was 7-2.

The Rockies continued to get players on base but failed to bring them home — in fact, they had baserunners on base each inning. All told, the Rockies went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They struck out 12 times and walked twice.

While hits were spread through the Rockies lineup, the standout was Julien who was 3-for-4 with a walk, a run, and two RBI.

“Situational baseball, not good today,” Schaeffer said.

Freeland has a solid return

Stop me if you’ve head this one before, but it was a first-inning-of-unfortunate-events for Kyle Freeland that involved an RBI bloop single in addition to Troy Johnston botching a pick-off attempt at first. (It was not a great defensive night for Johnston.) The starter’s only real mistake was that pitch to Steer that resulted in a two-run homer.

The consequences were twofold. First, Freeland was already down 3-0 at the bottom of the first; second, he threw 31 pitches, which meant his time on the mound would be short, especially given that he was coming off the IL.

In the end, Freeland (again) did his best to keep the Rockies in the game and got stronger as the evening progressed, but the offense struggled to figure out Burns and provide some run support.

Freeland finished the evening with 5.0 IP in which he gave up four runs (all earned) on five hits. He struck out four and walked one.

In short, Freeland was better than the box score indicates.

“I thought Free was really good. Free kept us in the ballgame,” Schaeffer said.

“I definitely got stranger as the game went on,” Freeland said. He added that he did not experience any shoulder issues.

Tanner Gordon was good — until he wasn’t

Schaeffer turned the game over to Tanner Gordon in the sixth inning. Gordon was good for two innings, but allowed some damage in the eighth inning.

His final line was three runs on six hits over 3.0 IP. He struck out three and issued no walks.

Up Next

Join us for Game 2 tomorrow afternoon at 4:40 when Tomoyuki Sugano will face Brandon Williamson.

See you then.

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