Rockies' defense delivers in 14-inning win over White Sox

By gqlshare on June 30, 2024

A masterpiece it wasn't. Finger painting is more like it.

But give the Rockies credit for hanging tough and delivering a slew of excellent defensive plays in a 5-4, 14-inning win over the White Sox on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Colorado manufactured the winning run in the 14th when Sam Hilliard's sacrifice bunt moved Ryan McMahon from second to third, and then McMahon scored on Michael Toglia's sacrifice fly.

Lefty reliever Jalen Beeks kept the White Sox from scoring in the bottom of the frame to help the Rockies end their five-game losing streak. Right-hander Tyler Kinley delivered scoreless innings in the 11th and 12th to keep Colorado in the game, which is not an easy task with a ghost runner on second to begin the inning.

The Rockies' last game of 14 or more innings was a 16-inning, 8-5 win at San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2019.

"There's a lot to unpack," manager Bud Black told Rockies.TV after Sunday's 3-hour, 25-minute marathon.

Start with web gems from center fielder Brenton Doyle, left fielder Nolan Jones, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and third baseman Ryan McMahon. Without their defensive prowess, the Rockies would not escaped Chicago with a victory in the three-game series.

Colorado sent the game into extra innings when Tovar started a slick double play to end the ninth. In the 12th, Doyle, who won a Gold Glove as a rookie last season, robbed Tommy Pham of a bloop single that would have won the game for Chicago.

In the 14th, McMahon made a difficult play look easy when he charged Lenyn Sosa's grounder and threw him out by a step.

"We were locked in the whole game, and everybody played really hard," catcher Hunter Goodman told Rockies.TV. "It was a great win for us."

Added Black: "All day long (we delivered). There is no question that our defense has been the strength of our team."

The Rockies won despite getting only six hits, striking out 21 times, going 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 runners on base.

Long before the game was decided, lefty starter Kyle Freeland gave the Rockies 6 2/3 workmanlike innings. He was charged with two runs on seven hits. He struck out three and walked two.

In his two starts since coming off the injured list, Freeland has a 1.42 ERA over 12 2/3 innings.

"Good fastball command today and he got some jam shots and some key strikeouts," Black said. "The fastball was in on the righties today, and the breaking ball was good, too, at times. That was a good outing for Kyle."

Freeland's only big mistake through the first five innings came in the fourth. He threw a misplaced 0-1 slider to leadoff hitter Andrew Vaughn, who parked the ball to left to get the White Sox on the scoreboard.

The sixth was a little rough for Freeland. He gave up solid singles to Vaughn and Eloy Jimenez, but Freeland's defense rescued him. Doyle did a Superman dive to rob Luis Robert of a hit, and Jones snared Paul DeJong's sinking liner.

Chicago tied the game, 2-2, in the seventh when Freeland faltered. Corey Julks and Sosa opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and Danny Mendick's perfect bunt moved them into scoring position. Freeland got out No. 2 by inducing pinch-hitter Korey Lee to pop out to Doyle in center field.

But then Freeland walked Pham, loading the bases. Black called on right-hander Victor Vodnik, but Vodnik walked Vaughn on five pitches to force in the tying run.

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the second by doing something they haven't done very often on the road this season: string quality at-bats together. McMahon led off with a single and raced to third on catcher Elias Diaz's single. McMahon scored on starter Garrett Crochet's balk and Diaz advanced to second.

Toglia's single moved Diaz to third and Diaz scored on Hunter Goodman's sacrifice fly to right.

Colorado Rockies' Elias Diaz celebrates after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Hunter Goodman during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Montero designated. Before Sunday's game, Diaz, who'd been out with a left calf strain, was taken off the 10-day injured list, and designated hitter/first baseman Elehuris Montero was designated for assignment.

Montero, who can be assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque if he is unclaimed off waivers, was caught in no-man's land at the plate.

Montero, part of the 2021 Nolan Arenado trade with the Cardinals, showed power late last season, finishing with 11 homers and a .243 average. But he struck out at a 36.2% clip, and the Rockies wanted him to reduce his Ks dramatically.

Montero did, trimming his strikeout rate to 24.2%. But his power dried up and he slashed .205/.267/.304 with just four home runs and 28 RBIs in 247 plate appearances this season.

Asked what happened to Montero, Black told MLB.com: "It's hard to really answer that one. You watch him in batting practice, you watch the exit velocity. He's made some adjustments, cutting down the strikeouts. I would like to think that's not the reason the power has shortened up a little bit, but that was a little bit of a mystery for us.

"I hope selfishly, organizationally, we can keep him in Albuquerque."

Monday's pitching matchup

Brewers RHP Bryse Wilson (5-3, 3.89 ERA) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (1-1, 5.02)

6:40 p.m. Monday, Coors Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

Gomber's May was marvelous: 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA in four starts. His June was a bust: 0-3 with a 9.39 ERA in five starts. He's coming off a loss at Houston where he allowed five runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. Gomber, the former Cardinal, is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in his seven career appearances (three starts) against Milwaukee. His last start against the Brewers was June 19, 2021, at Coors Field. He allowed two runs on four hits in two innings.

Wilson is making his 20th appearance and 10th start. He pitched in relief last Tuesday vs. Texas and picked up a win in the Brewers' 3-1 victory, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, striking out four and walking none. Wilson is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three career games (one start) against the Rockies. His lone start against Colorado came with the Pirates on July 17, 2022, at Coors Field. He got a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 8-3 win, allowing two runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings.