The Colorado Rockies shutout the San Diego Padres at home Tuesday night 8-0 on a chilly April affair at Coors Field.
After a rain delay pushed back the start of the game nearly an hour, the Rockies got off to a quick start by scoring two runs in the first inning. Padres infielder Jose Pirela made a throwing error on a groundball hit by Chris Iannetta to score the initial two runs for the Rockies.
Colorado was able to break the game open in the second inning, when Noel Cuevas hit a one-out single to left field and then advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt from starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. Cuevas then scored on a RBI single from DJ LeMahieu and Colorado proceeded to get two runners on base with a single hit by Charlie Blackmon and a walk issued to Nolan Arenado to load the bases. From there, shortstop Trevor Story launched a grand slam to center field to push the Rockies ahead 7-0 after two innings.
Working with a lead, Freeland was able to lock down on the mound and deliver a dominant start for the Rockies to help nail down the victory, evening the series at a game apiece, and providing a much-needed quality start for Colorado’s starting rotation.
Freeland logged seven scoreless innings, allowing no runs and just three hits while striking out eight batters.
The Rockies added a run in the 5th inning when Ian Desmond delivered an RBI single to score David Dahl, who hit a two-out triple prior.
The surplus of offense was nice to see from the Rockies who have struggled at the plate so far this season, owning one of the lowest team batting averages in the league (.224). The Rockies have struggled to string together hits all season but managed to reverse their fortune Tuesday by recording nine hits collectively. Every one of Colorado’s starters logged a hit in the victory with the exceptions of Arenado and Freeland.
NEXT UP:
The Rockies and Padres will conclude their series tomorrow at Coors Field. Jon Gray will square off against Tyson Ross with first pitch set for 1:10 MST.
