Mickey Moniak, the Colorado Rockies’ top offensive player this season, was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a right ankle injury.
The transaction opened the door for Sterlin Thompson to join Chad Stevens as unlikely game-winning heroes.
The two players who were Triple-A teammates at mid-week will look to help the Rockies win for the second straight game on Saturday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
Stevens, a 27-year-old infielder, was recalled from Albuquerque on Thursday and started the past two games. Thompson, 24, was recalled Friday to fill the roster spot of Moniak.
Both Stevens and Thompson stepped up in the ninth inning of Friday night’s 3-2 win over Arizona. Thompson doubled with one out in the ninth for his second career hit, and Stevens followed with the tiebreaking single, his third major league hit.
“It’s crazy getting the hit and then Chad bringing me in,” said Thompson, who served as the designated hitter while playing in his fourth big-league game. “It’s a great moment. Playing Triple-A together this year, it’s just find a way to win, and both of us did that in the top of the ninth.”
Thompson will get some at-bats in the short term, but there’s no telling how long his second stay in the majors will be. He played in three games earlier this month and was sent back down to Albuquerque when outfielder Tyler Freeman was activated from the paternity list on May 19.
Of course, the Rockies also don’t want to play without Moniak for long. He is batting .280 and leads Colorado with 12 homers and 28 RBIs in 43 games.
“Mickey never wants to go on the IL,” Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s a warrior. He’s a battler. It’s just honest, man-to-man conversation about what’s best for him, what’s best for the team. He agrees.”
Colorado rallied from a 2-0 deficit on Friday to halt Arizona’s season-best five-game winning streak. The Diamondbacks beat the Rockies 2-1 in Thursday’s opener of the four-game set.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove in both Arizona runs on Friday but departed in the sixth inning with left hamstring tightness after making a sliding catch on TJ Rumfield’s fly to shallow left.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Gurriel is “day to day” and will undergo imaging on Saturday.
“It’s unfortunate and we’ll try to figure out what that means,” Lovullo said.
Gurriel said the injury occurred while he was running.
“It doesn’t seem to be too serious,” he said through an interpreter.
Right-hander Zac Gallen (2-4, 4.78 ERA) has had success against the Rockies and will take the ball on Saturday. Gallen is 9-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 18 career starts vs. Colorado.
Gallen ended a seven-start winless stretch in his last turn when he defeated the San Francisco Giants 12-2 on Monday. He gave up two runs and four hits over six innings.
Gallen, 30, allowed 17 runs and 19 hits in 14 1/3 innings over his previous three starts, losing each.
Ezequiel Tovar is 6-for-13 with a homer against Gallen. Hunter Goodman (2-for-8) also has taken Gallen deep.
Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (2-6, 7.03 ERA) will start for the Rockies on Saturday. He will look to halt a four-start losing streak. He has allowed 19 earned runs and 29 hits in 20 innings during the span.
The 34-year-old gave up seven runs (six earned) and nine hits over 4 2/3 innings in an 8-6 loss to Arizona last Sunday in Denver. He served up homers to Corbin Carroll and Gurriel.
Lorenzen is 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 11 career appearances (three starts) against the Diamondbacks. Carroll (2-for-8) has homered twice against him.
–Field Level Media
