A strong broadcast from a crew consisting of Ryan Spilborghs, Jeff Huson, and Cory Sullivan at one point tonight turned their attention to their favorite songs by Minnesota musical legend Prince. It seems fitting, then, that baseball’s favorite purple team decided to bring the rain down at Target Field in a win that made up for last night’s walk-off loss.
Lorenzen continues his solid streak
Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen added another game to his streak of starts lasting five or more innings. Lorenzen went five or more innings in just
half of his first 14 starts this season with varying degrees of success. However, since simplifying his approach on the mound earlier this month, he has now done so in four consecutive games. In those four starts, he has given up more than two earned runs just once.
Lorenzen gave up a lot of contact against a solid group of Minnesota Twins batters, allowing seven hits and tallying just one strikeout. However, he commanded his pitches well and avoided issuing any ill-advised, potentnially haunting walks. He relied heavily on his sinker, continuing to use a reduced pitch mix compared to earlier in the season. The only other pitches with double-digit uses were his changeup and cutter.
The first of Lorenzen’s two earned runs given up came at the beginning of the game when two singles book-ended Byron Buxton getting hit by a pitch. The second came in the fifth inning when Josh Bell clanged a ball high off the outfield wall for a triple. Bell then scored on a sacrifice fly.
Vodnik and Bernardino keep the scoresheet clean
Relievers Victor Vodnik and Brennan Bernardino had much-needed strong outings against the Twins tonight. Vondik was first in line as he entered the game in the sixth to take over for Michael Lorenzen. Having struggled mightily this season, it was good to see Vodnik deliver quality pitches and set down all four batters he faced in order. Bernardino pitched the eighth inning and worked a quick 1-2-3 inning on 13 pitches with one strikeout.
The drama comes late… again
The running theme this past week has been drama in the late innings, and unfortunately that was again the case tonight. With an 8-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, reliever Zach Agnos was handed the ball in a low-leverage situation. Agnos struck out Royce Lewis, the walk-off hero of last night’s win for the Twins, on a sweeper in the dirt and it looked like Rockies fans could breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the end of the game free from drama.
Then two straight singles and a walk loaded up the bases.
Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach then cleared the bases with a double to put the Twins within striking distance with only two outs. Agnos was then pulled from the game and replaced with Jimmy Herget.
Herget wrapped up the game on nine pitches, inducing back-to-back flyouts to end the game and cement a Rockies victory and earning his third save of the season in the process.
Purple Rain
“An exceptional night from Hunter,” said manager Warren Schaeffer after the game. “Incredible.”
Proving once again that last year’s 31 home run season was no fluke, Hunter Goodman continued to tear the cover off the ball after he demolished a home run over 450 late last night. Goodman hit two more loud solo home runs in his first two at-bats before hitting a three-run homer in the seventh inning to become the third Rockies player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a game. He did this as the designated hitter, where his numbers have generally been lacking compared to nights when he suits up behind the plate.
Goodman has 25 home runs after tonight, 18 of which have come on the road. Those 18 road home runs are the most by any Rockies hitter before the All-Star break. With 15 games left before the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Goodman now has a good chance to become the first Rockies hitter with 30 or more home runs at the break.
Kyle Karros decided to bring some additional rain of his own with a two-run home run in the eighth inning to further pad the Rockies lead—and every run counts with the late inning drama these days. Jake McCarthy would score after hitting a triple in the fifth inning on a 2-for-5 evening, while Tyler Freeman and TJ Rumfield both had two-hit nights of their own.
Coming Up Next
The Rockies have one more game to play in the Twin Cities before heading back to Colorado. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 PM MDT, at which time the right-handed Ryan Feltner will take the mound against the left-handed Connor Prielipp.
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