In a game that should have been a battle of Cole Carrigg vs. Pete Crow-Armstrong, and one where the Rockies rookie out-produced Chicago’s All-Star center fielder, it was the bullpen that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Monday night.
Carrigg hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and drew a bases-loaded walk earlier in the game, taking credit for every Colorado Rockies run and outshining reverse cycling-hitting PCA, but Juan Mejia and Seth Halvorsen combined to walk three Chicago Cubs
in the bottom of the ninth, including Halvorsen’s four-pitch walk to Matt Shaw with the bases loaded to lose the game.
Don’t walk this way
Seven different Rockies pitchers combined to walk nine Cubs and give away the game. Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, who gave up one run in five innings, only issued one walk.
“[Eight bullpen walks] is never ever going to lead to wins. Michael walked one. He threw the ball very well, I thought. He kept us right in the ball game. He was efficient,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “That’s two really, really good starts in a row for him, which is huge for us and huge for him. I am happy for him.”
The walk-fest started in the sixth when Antonio Senzatela gave up a two-out walk to Moisés Ballesteros. He came around to score on a Shaw triple to put the Cubs up 2-1.
In the eighth inning, after the Rockies rallied to take a 4-2 lead, the Cubs used Victor Vodnik’s control problems to cut the lead to one. Vodnik, who rejoined the team earlier on Monday after being on the IL since May 20, gave up a single to Pedro Ramírez and a walk to Michael Conforto. Crow-Armstrong made the Rockies pay with a sac fly to make it 4-3 Colorado, and despite another walk to Alex Bregman, the Rockies entered the bottom of the ninth with the lead thanks to Juan Mejia striking out Michael Busch on 98.2-mph high heat.
Mejia’s mojo didn’t carry over to the ninth as he started off by walking Seiya Suzuki, who didn’t have a hit and had struck out twice in the game. Ian Happ then hit a grounder to Hill, who airmailed a throw to second base to center field, putting runners at the corners with no outs. A frazzled Mejia then walked Nico Hoerner to load the bases. At that point, Schaeffer pulled him from the game.
Seth Halvorsen came in, but the problem remained the same.
Halverson immediately gave up a game-tying single to Ramírez and then threw four straight balls to give Shaw the walk-off walk win.
“If you are going to walk eight guys in the bullpen, you aren’t going to win very many games,” Schaeffer said. “It’s a shame. Eight walks on the road in the tough environment, that’s just not going to fly.”
Despite the outcome, Schaeffer still brushed aside questions about having an established closer. He listed all six relievers that came in the game on Monday and said they could do it, but that “we just couldn’t get it done tonight.”
Carrigg continues to crush
If the first seven games of Carrigg’s MLB career are any indicator, the center fielder, who finished the game at shortstop, is going to be something special. In his first 27 at-bats, the 24-year-old switch hitter has seven hits, eight RBI, three homers, six runs scored, three walks, and six strikeouts.
He flashed his potential when he came to the plate with two outs and two runners on and smashed a four-seam fastball from Caleb Thielbar 105.1 mph to left field.
“He’s been absolutely awesome,” Schaeffer said. “The homer in Wrigley, down one in the eighth, what do you say about that? The kid’s first seven games, and he’s doing that already? That’s impressive. He’s not scared of anything. He’s a breath of fresh air. It’s fun watching him play.”
Willi Castro picked up where he left off from his two-homer, seven-RBI game on Sunday by starting the game with a pair of singles. He was part of the Rockies recording a single in each of the first five innings, but they were never able to advance a runner to second base through five innings against Shota Imanaga.
That finally happened in the sixth when Castro drew a leadoff walk. Tyler Freeman traded places with him after hitting into a fielder’s choice and TJ Rumfield flied out. Hunter Goodman followed with a single and his hit was enough to chase Imanaga from the game.
Phil Maton entered the game, only to hit pinch hitter Troy Johnston to load the bases. Carrigg then came to the plate, and stood in for a great, eight-pitch at-bat to draw an RBI walk and tie the game.
Jake McCarthy grounded out to end the inning with the bases still loaded, but at least the Rockies were on the board. Imanaga finished with a similar line to Lorenzen’s: one run on five hits and one walk in five innings, but only with three strikeouts.
Lorenzen, Rockies could have overcome PCA’s cycle
Crow-Armstrong punished Lorenzen early, hitting a 434-foot homer to center field with the wind blowing out in the first at-bat of the game. With a 1-0 lead, Alex Bregman followed with a single up the middle and it seemed like the Rockies were in for a long night.
Then Lorenzen turned it on, responding by striking out Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki before getting Ian Happ to fly out. Over the next four innings, Lorenzen held the Cubs scoreless, despite threats every inning. Lorenzen escaped two runners in the second (two singles), a leadoff triple by PCA in the third and a one-out double by PCA in the fifth.
PCA completed the reverse cycle, the first cycle of his career and the first at Wrigley Field since Mark Grace did it in 1993, in the seventh inning when he hit a single of Brennan Bernardino.
As a small bit of solace for Rockies fans, Bernardino then picked off Crow-Armstrong at first base.
Lorenzen finished with five strikeouts — three on the four-seam fastball and two on the sinker. That helped him overcome the five hits he surrendered.
When he left the game entering the bottom of the sixth, after throwing 89 pitches, the Rockies and Cubs were tied 1-1.
The Rockies have now lost 10 straight at Wrigley Field.
Up Next
The Rockies and Cubs will be back at it on Tuesday night with first pitch slated for 6:05 p.m. MDT. Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.20 ERA) will start for the Rockies, while Edward Cabrera (4-3, 4.86 ERA) will be on the mound for Chicago.
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