From the very first Mets batter of the game, things didn’t look good for the Colorado Rockies. Tyler Chatwood walked Michael Conforto on four pitches. Things didn’t get much better from there for Chatwood. The Rockies bats didn’t do anything to help the situation, and Colorado dropped its second game to open the second half of the 2017 season, 9-3.
Chatwood (6-11, 4.74 ERA) walked the first two batters he faced, throwing just one strike. After retiring Yoenis Cespedes on a fly ball to center, Jay Bruce hit a home run over the center field fence to give the Mets the early 3-0 lead. Chatwood then walked T.J. Rivera and manager Bud Black pulled the struggling right-hander after he failed to throw a strike following a visit from the trainer. Chris Rusin didn’t do much better in relief, allowing four runs (only one earned) on six hits over 2.2 innings. Things were so dire for Black, he had to use starter Kyle Freeland in three innings of relief. Freeland was excellent, however, allowing no runs, no hits and a walk, striking out four. Jake McGee pitched a clean seventh. Adam Ottavino allowed a monstrous home run to Jose Reyes, but no other damage in the eighth.
Seth Lugo (4-2, 4.50) shut down the Rockies on the mound, and got after them at the plate. Lugo allowed three runs on seven hits over 6.2 innings, striking out five. He also hit his first career home run, a solo shot off Rusin in the third. Paul Sewald (0.2 IP), Jerry Blevins (0.2 IP) and Addison Reed (1.0 IP) closed out the game, allowing no runs between them.
The Rockies have dropped both games since returning from the All-Star break and are now 5-15 in their last 20 games, free-falling out of contention in the National League West. With a win on Saturday, the Dodgers are now 11.5 games ahead of Colorado in the division. Black will call on Jeff Hoffman (5-1, ) to try and salvage the final game of the series Sunday afternoon.
