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Give the Rockies points for creativity. They continue to find ways to lose baseball games on the road.
Jonathan India hit an infield chopper to score Spencer Steer from third and lead Cincinnati to a 3-2 win Friday night at Great American Ballpark.
Missing in the loss was a strong start by Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.
Steer – making his senior league debut – was instrumental in the Reds’ victory. He hit a solo homer in the fifth and led off the ninth with a double in right field off right fielder Alex Colum. At Colum Wildfield, Steer got third and scored India’s field goal with five men.
Colorado is now 20-45 away from Coors Field.The .308 winning percentage ranks last in the majors and the third-lowest road winning percentage in franchise history.
At first, it was a list of good news. Rookie left fielder Shane Bouchard hit a home run in the second inning to give the Rockies a 2-0 lead. After Elias Diaz reached on a one-out single, Bouchard hit a homer off right-hander Luis Cessa for his first career homer.
“Sean had a great year in Triple-A and we felt like we wanted to get a good look at him in the big leagues,” manager Bud Black said of Bouchard, via AT&T SportsNet. “He’s done a great job coming back (to the majors). Two walks and a homer tonight.
Ryan McMahon followed Bouchard’s homer with a single and advanced to third on Charlie Blackmon’s double. But C.J. Crone struck out and Colorado’s big inning opportunity faded.
From the fourth through the ninth, Colorado managed just one run off Sessa and four Cincinnati relievers, including a harmless leadoff hit by Jose Iglesias in the seventh.
Bouchard drew a walk to lead off the eighth, but made a costly error. He misread Brendan Rodgers’ line drive to right field, thinking he would fall for an extra base. But Arstrides Aquino ran the ball to catch and advanced Bouchard for a double play.
Freeland was hitless through the first four innings. But leading off the fifth, third baseman Steer crushed Freeland’s 2-1 sinker into center field to cut Colorado’s lead to 2-1.
Freeland got into traffic in the sixth, giving up a one-out single to Donovan Solano and a bunt single to Stuart Fairchild. He got to second before giving way to right-hander Justin Lawrence, who pitched around Steer to load the bases but struck out Jose Barrero to preserve the lead.
Freeland, gritty as ever, allowed eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, but just one run. In his last five road starts, he is 2-1 with a 2.46 ERA.
“What’s clear is we’re not at the top,” Freeland told AT&T SportsNet. It’s a little easier to let your stuff break here. I’m not saying it’s easy to be sharp here, but you’ll find that your tones will have more depth to them and that will help a lot.
Cincinnati tied the game 2-2 in the seventh on pinch hitter Jake Fraley’s leadoff homer off reliever Dinelson Lamet. The Reds defeated the Rockies 11-6.
On the ship
Rockies RHP German Marquez (7-10, 4.97 ERA) at Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (3-5, 4.30)
4:40 p.m. Saturday, Great American Ballpark
TV: ATTRM
Radio: KOA 850 AM / 94.1 FM
Is the real Marquez back? in case. Last season, the star right-hander got off to an impressive start at Citi Field in New York, pitching seven scoreless innings in Colorado’s 1-0 win over the Mets. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out five. Marquez has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his nine outings, going 3-3 with a 3.49 ERA. The last time he played at Great American Ballpark was on June 12, 2021, when the Reds won it. Marquez allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 12 hits in five innings. He is 3-1 in four career starts with Cincinnati, posting a 5.40 ERA with seven walks and 26 strikeouts.
Lodolo will make his 14th start of the season and his first against the Rockies. Lodolo allowed three runs on five hits and a walk in seven innings Sunday, striking out five and taking the loss against Washington. Lodolo, who has spent time on the injured list this season, is looking for his first win since July 25. He is 0-2 with a 3.89 ERA in six starts since that win.
Trending: Entering Friday’s game, Charlie Blackmon’s .345 batting average ranked fifth in the National League and ninth in the majors. Since July 1, he is hitting .444 (20-for-45) against RISP, the third-highest average in the majors.
In the matter: After playing in 85 games before the All-Star break, Connor Joe appeared in 19 games, hitting .131 (8-for-61).
Chance of matching:
Sunday: Rockies RHP Jose Urena (3-5, 5.80) at Reds RHP Chase Anderson (0-1, 27.00), 11:40 a.m., ATTRM
Monday: Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (4-3, 3.56) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (2-6, 5.78), 2:10 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff (9-4, 3.54) at Rockies RHP Chad Kuhl (6-8, 5.19), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
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