Kyle Freeland and the rest of the Colorado Rockies pitching staff might have been more comfortable in reflective neon jackets rather than their usual purple garb on Thursday. That’s because they were dealing with a whole lot of traffic in their 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners to snap a three-game losing skid.
The Mariners put runners on base in all but one inning of Thursday’s getaway game, but Freeland and three Rockies relievers combined to strand 11 baserunners. Freeland put five of Seattle’s 16 baserunners on without making them swing the bat, walking two and hitting three batters. He battled, though, surrendering just two runs on six hits over six innings pitched to earn his sixth win of the year. Chris Rusin worked out of some trouble in the seventh inning, allowing a run on two hits and a walk. Jake McGee gave up a hit in the eighth to keep it interesting. Greg Holland converted his MLB-leading 20th save and had to join the baserunner party by issuing a two-out walk.
The Rockies got to Yovani Gallardo early, scoring five runs on six hits and three walks over three innings. Colorado scored four in the second inning thanks to a Mark Reynolds two-run home run, an RBI single from Trevor Story and a sac fly from Charlie Blackmon. Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run in the third and Gerardo Parra stayed hot. Parra was 4-for-4 on the day with an RBI and a run scored. Parra is 10-for-12 in his last three starts and 10-for-13 over the past four games (including a pinch hitting appearance on Wednesday).
With the win and a Dodgers loss earlier in the day, Colorado jumped back into first place in the National League West. Arizona joined them atop the division with a win on Thursday night. Colorado now shifts their focus to a three-game series with the Padres in San Diego. The Padres are red-hot right now, having won four straight games. They just swept the Cubs at home and took the final game of three against the Nationals before that. German Marquez (4-2, 3.76 ERA) will get the start for Bud Black and the Rockies. Clayton Richard (3-6, 4.33 ERA) goes for San Diego.
