My friend who was going to the game with me texted me that afternoon saying he couldn’t make it. So, despite being the old guy that I withdrew the ticket back from my friend, called another friend on my cell phone to invite him and sent him the ticket with my phone after he accepted. I did all this in 15 minutes. Look at what us old guys can do with phones.
The Rockies won the game 7-4 after jumping off to a 7-0 lead. I do mean held on as the Giants put on base the last 3 innings. I know Baseball Reference said the highest probability the Giant had of winning the rest of the game was 13 percent, but this was Coors field and I have seen a lot run scored here through the years.
Not that the Giants lineup scares anybody. Joc Pederson is having a solid year with the bat with a 125 OPS+ when he plays. However, if that is your best hitter the offense it is not a great offense. Further research shows they are in the middle of the pack in runs scored. Even though the Rockies have scored more runs than the Giants (nine) the Giants have the better offense. The Giants play in a slight pitchers park while the Rockies play in a good hitters park. Neither offense is great, but neither is that bad.
Now I looked at the OPS+ of both teams, the Giants are average, and the Rockies are a little below average, so what I said was right.
So, after 5 innings the Rockies had a 7-0 lead. Pitcher Jose Urena has given up 1 hit, through 5 innings, so I’m feeling pretty comfortable about a Rockies victory. My friend is a Giants fan, and he still has hope but knows the Giants are running out of time.
In the sixth with 2 outs, Joc Pederson hits what I consider to be a Coors Field homerun. It is hit hard, but not that hard. However, the ball keeps carrying and it looks like it is going to go over the left field fence, barely. I still had hope the ball would go foul. No such luck. However, Urena quickly gets the last out and as a Rockies fan I’m not that worried. Urena still looks good, and he hasn’t thrown that many pitches. If he can get through the seventh the game should be ours.
Coming out in the seventh, Urena doesn’t seem to have command of his pitches. He struggles to get through the inning. I think Bud Black the manager wants him to finish 7. However, he give up a single and a walk to the four batters he faces in the inning. The Rockies fans were happy when Bud Black took Urena out of the game then. He had thrown 94 pitches.
Lucas Gilbreath threw a lot more that inning. Gilbreath comes in because 3 of the next 4 batters were lefties. However, the Giants manager pinch hit for his two lefties and the three right handers. The Giants strategy works as all three righthanders get on base making the score 7-4 with runners on first and second and the tying run at the plate in the person of that guy again Joc Pederson. However, Pederson is the third lefthander that was due up and Gilbreath strikes him out.
In less than 5 minutes the Giants are at the plate again, but this time they face Carlos Estevez. He gives up a lead off double and doesn’t look that great. However, he works the batters and gets the next three batters. He never looks sharp, but he looked better than Gilbreath and got through the inning with no runs.
For the 9th relief ace Daniel Bard come out for the save. At first he can’t throw his fastball across the plate and walks Brandon Crawford. He starts J.D. Davis the same way. However, he then throws two great fastballs for strikes for a strike out. Now he is on and easily strikes out the last two batters for the victory.
The offensive hero of the game was Elehuris Montero from the Dominican Republic who turned 24 two days before the game. He is a two-run and three-run homerun. He strong at 6’3” and 235 pounds. He has shown he can hit AAA pitching and is starting to show he can hit major league pitching. The local paper said he can play first and third, but he wasn’t as good in the field as C.J. Cron or Ryan McMahon.
I think Montero is at an age where he should be added to the team next year. It would make the team younger. I would put him at first base and try to get something for C.J. Cron who is 32. Cron is their best hitter and is good in the field, but he isn’t that great of a hitter. Especially for a first baseman. Meanwhile, McMahon will never be more than an average hitter but is great in the field. I don’t know if Jose Iglesias is a long-term solution at shortstop, but he has been a slightly below average fielder since turning 30.
Right now, the Rockies have a lot of guys who are OK in the outfield and one of them can always play the DH position. Also, Kris Bryant is still under contract and I’m guessing if he plays for the Rockies next year he will be doing a lot of DHing. If not there he will be playing in the outfield. Just some thoughts from a fan.
