Recap: Rockies 7, Brewers 5 (11 inn.)
Turning point: After Huston Street blew his first save since June 2, he needed someone to pick him up. Several September clutch heroes had a chance in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings, but it was the forgotten Rockies catcher, Chris Iannetta, who came through. Brad Hawpe walked to lead off the 11th inning. After Jason Giambi popped out, Iannetta, who has started just four games in September and was pinch-hitting for just the fifth time this season, hit a two-run home run to end the game.
At the plate: Dexter Fowler scored the game’s first run after doubling to lead off the bottom of the first. He moved to third on a fly ball to right by Ryan Spilborghs and scored on a Todd Helton single. . . . The Rockies were down 2-1 in sixth inning until back-to-back doubles from Spilborghs and Helton to start the inning brought in one run to tie the game. Troy Tulowitzki singled and Ian Stewart walked to load the bases, and Yorvit Torrealba gave the Rockies a 3-2 lead with a sacrifice fly. The inning should have been over on a double-play grounder to second base by the next batter, Brad Hawpe. Instead, Stewart, dodged the tag from second baseman Felipe Lopez while running to second to avoid the double play. Lopez, who tripped on the play, recovered and tried to throw out Stewart at second, but the ball went into left field. Tulowitzki scored to make it 4-2 . . . The Rockies added another run in the seventh inning. Fowler walked, moved to third on a Spilborghs single and scored on a double play grounder by Helton . . . The first four batters in the Rockies lineup — Fowler, Spilborghs, Helton and Troy Tulowitzki — were 8-for-18 with five runs scored and two RBI . . . Fowler was 1-for-4 and scored two runs . . . Spilborghs was 2-for-4 with a walk . . . Helton was 2-for-5 with two RBI — he now has 84 this season . . . Tulowitzki was 3-for-5 . . . Brad Hawpe was 1-for-3 with an RBI . . . Seth Smith pinch-hit in the eighth and struck out swinging to end the inning. The ball got away from the catcher, but Smith didn’t run. If he had gotten to first, Hawpe would have scored an important insurance run . . . The Rockies held Brewers sluggers Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to a combined 2-for-8, with both hits coming from Braun. The Rockies twice intentionally walked Fielder with runners on second and third. Braun and Fielder each struck out once and Fielder grounded into a double play.
On the mound: Jason Marquis struggled through the first three innings, loading the bases in the first and third, both times with an intentional walk to Prince Fielder. In the first, he got out of the jam with a double play grounder from Casey McGehee. In the third, he walked McGehee to force in the Brewers’ second run then got a double play grounder from Mike Cameron to end the inning. Marquis settled down for the next three innings, allowing just two more runners before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth. Marquis finished with six hits, four walks and a strikeout in his six innings before being pulled for a pinch-hitter. He missed a chance to win a career-best 16th game when the Rockies blew the ninth-inning lead . . . Matt Daley pitched a perfect seventh inning . . . Rafael Betancourt struck out the side in the eighth inning . . . Huston Street blew the save with a walk, a single and a three-run home run to Jason Kendall that allowed the Brewers to tie the game at 5-5. It was Street’s first blown save since June 2 . . . Jose Contreras started the 10th inning allowed a walk to Corey Hart and a deep fly ball to right from Ryan Braun that was caught at the wall and nearly turned into a double play . . . Joe Beimel ended the 10th with a double-play grounder from Fielder . . . Matt Belisle pitched a one-two-three 11th . . . Brewers starter Chris Narveson baffled the Rockies for most of the first five innings, allowing just one first-inning run before the Rockies broke through in the sixth inning. Narveson left in the sixth inning with one on and nobody out and the game tied 2-2. He was charged with three earned runs, allowed five hits, a walk and struck out four.
Numbers game: 212 innings for Marquis, a career-high. His previous career-high was 207 innings in 2005.
He said it: “It’s tough, because I want to play. But (Torrealba’s) been playing incredibly well, we’ve been winning and it’s what needed to happen. I’ve struggled for most of the year and he’s come up big this last month and won some games for us and done a great job. So I understand it completely, but it doesn’t change your desire to want to play and want to contribute. It’s something I’ve said this whole time, ‘I just want to be able to contribute.’ It was great to do so.”
Iannetta, who homered on just his 12th at-bat since Aug. 28, on losing his job as the starting catcher to Yorvit Torrealba and playing sparingly
What a game
This is why we love baseball. This is why we love this team. Your most reliable reliever has a rare bad day, and a guy who has been down in the dumps all season is the one who picks him up.
Not only did that home run knock a huge game off that magic number, but it might be the moment that brings back Iannetta’s missing confidence.
We need Chris Iannetta. I think we got him.
I think a win like this is really going to spark this team to finish out the season strong and the dodgers haven’t clinched yet so i hope they are still watching that score
I’m speechless.
Great pick me ups from the bullpen and bench in the extra innings. Perfect way to end it with Ianetta. Really would like a blowout to settle the nerves.
Though you never want to see your closer blow a save, it was great to see Ianetta come in and contribute. Huston was due for a blown save. Better tonight when the Braves had already lost and the Rockies had the chance to pick him up, than in LA with the playoff spot on the line. Now, he can gather himself and be as good as we know he can the rest of the way.
This was such an incredible game to watch tonight. The dramatic walk off 2 run shot by Iannetta was one of the best moments of the season. Getting only a couple starts this month, Chris Iannetta has been referred to as the “forgotten man”. I hope after this night, Tracy takes notice. This player will make a difference. We need Chris Iannetta.
I know there was a day off in between but I wonder if Street pitching two innings had something to do with the blown save. But that does not matter now.
I hope this is the spark Iannetta needs to get it going. I’d love to see him get the start tomorrow. Let’s go Rox!
Drew, that exact thought went through my mind also. He wasn’t real sharp in the second inning on Sunday, and despite the day off, not sharp again last night. I don’t know that I’d push him back out there tonight if I don’t have to. I trust him, but I think he needs a day.
Also, I’d like to throw Brad Hawpe’s catch and near double play out there as my turning point. With what happened in the 9th, I wasn’t feeling real good about what would happen, but when Hawpe hauled in what appeared to be at least a double, I felt like the momentum turned back around.
What is with the umpiring these days? It seems like every time I tune in I see a blown call. First it was the San Diego stolen base that resulted in a run. Then Fowler’s being called out on an infield hit (safe by half a step). Then the play at first last night where Hawpe/Tulo had the runner doubled off. Now I read Barmes did not really catch the blooper on Sunday. Fortunately the breaks bounce the Rockies’ way every now and then. I hope the umpiring improves when we get to the playoffs.
Great win, and beautiful poetic irony that Ianetta was the one to pick up Street’s blown save.
I’m also glad to see Hawpe having some quality at-bats.
I was amazed that the umpiring crew last night could completely blow a simple rotation on the Hawpe/Tulo play. The plate umpire MUST cover first on that play, so the second-base umpire can stay home to cover a play at second. No way should he have had to make the call at first…for the obvious reason that he had to call the play from a position where he had no angle. You just never want to have to call a play from behind!
The first base umpire has no doubt already had a call from the supervisor in the MLB office.
Sorry, that’s the Home Plate umpire getting the call from MLB, not the First Base umpire. The 1B umpire correctly went out to cover the outfield play.
I really think Jim Tracy should be more careful with Street after he missed 3 weeks and then threw his longest outing of the season earlier in the week.
Doesn’t change what was an amazing win, though. I don’t know what’s going to be necessary for Chris Iannetta to prove to Tracy that he ought to be the starting catcher, but I hope this is a step in that direction.
I agree Ryan, I really hope that Iannetta is in the starting lineup at least once over the next five games, the team needs him now and will next year too. He can do the job just struggled mightily. But, it’s not rec softball, it’s professional baseball, so have to produce to be in the lineup. He did so last night. The Rox caught a break on the check swing, but sometimes the breaks go their way and sometimes they don’t, that’s baseball.
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