The Colorado Rockies have a chance Saturday to do something they’ve accomplished only twice this season — and an opportunity to put the Cincinnati Reds on the verge of suffering a fate they haven’t endured this year.
The Rockies will look to lock up a rare series victory Saturday afternoon when they visit the Reds in the middle game of a three-game set.
Bradley Blalock (0-2, 12.94 ERA) is slated to start for the Rockies against fellow right-hander Brady Singer (7-7, 4.32).
The Rockies earned a much-needed win Friday night when Hunter Goodman scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning of a 3-2 game.
Before Friday, Colorado hadn’t won a game in which it scored three runs or less since a 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on June 18.
“That’s been the story of the season,” said Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, who went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer on Friday. “If we score a bunch of runs, typically we win. It’s these hard-fought games that we need to find a way to get that little edge, score that extra run, stuff like that. Tonight we did a good job of that.”
The win also was just the fifth in a series opener this season for the Rockies, whose 22-72 record has them on pace to finish 38-124 — three games worse than last year’s Chicago White Sox, who set the modern record for losses in a season.
Colorado’s last two victories in series openers yielded series wins over the Miami Marlins and Nationals — the Rockies’ only series wins of the season.
On the other end of the spectrum are the Reds, who are the only team in the majors that hasn’t been swept yet.
The Reds continued their inconsistent ways on offense Friday night, when they fell to 0-6 this month when scoring three runs or less. Cincinnati has scored at least six runs in each of its four wins since July 1.
The Reds went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position Friday. With two outs in the ninth, Austin Hays struck out to strand potential tying run Santiago Espinal at second base and potential winning run Elly De La Cruz at first base.
Hays finished 0-for-5 with four strikeouts while stranding nine runners. He entered Friday batting .321 with runners on base.
“Austin had a tough night tonight,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “We’ll take him in that situation all the rest of the year, believe me.”
Blalock, who hasn’t pitched since he tossed five innings for Triple-A Albuquerque on July 4, last appeared in the majors on May 10, when he gave up 12 runs over 3 2/3 innings and took the loss as Colorado suffered a 21-0 demolition by the San Diego Padres. He was optioned to Albuquerque the next day.
Singer took the loss in his most recent start on Monday night, when he surrendered two runs over five innings as the Reds fell 5-1 to the Miami Marlins.
Blalock was the losing pitcher in his lone previous appearance against the Reds on April 27, when he allowed six runs over four innings as Cincinnati cruised to an 8-1 win.
Singer is 2-0 with an 0.71 ERA in two career starts against the Rockies.
–Field Level Media
