Coming off a victory in the first game of the series, the Colorado Rockies were hoping to continue to build momentum on Saturday afternoon against the Texas Rangers. After being handed an early 2-0 lead and holding the opposition scoreless through six innings, starter Kyle Freeland allowed two runs in the bottom of the seventh before the bullpen ultimately surrendered the game in a 5-2 loss. Quality Kyle Saturday’s seven innings of two-run ball resulted in the ninth quality start of the season for Freeland, a number that continues to pace the Rockies’ starting staff. Through his first six innings, Freeland faced no more than four batters in a single inning. The seventh was ultimately the downfall for the Denver native. After a leadoff triple from Rougned Odor, Isiah Kiner-Falefa knocked him in with his 10th double of the year. After getting Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman to fly out and ground out respectively, Jose Trevino came through with a game-tying RBI single past the outstretched glove of a diving Nolan Arenado at third base. Hip, Hip, Jose! The game-tying single for Trevino was his first major league hit and RBI. This was the 25-year-old Trevino’s second MLB game, after receiving a call-up from the Double-A Frisco Roughriders, despite never receiving a go-around through the Triple-A level. Trevino’s numbers for Frisco were certainly not eye-popping (.233/.284/.333 slash line), and the catcher does not have a long track record of success in the Minor Leagues. Regardless of the path that led to this moment, Trevino will remember this game quite fondly. Bullpen woes continue Harrison Musgrave entered the game in the eighth in a 2-2 game, and ultimately did not retire a single batter. Musgrave allowed three runs on two hits and a walk. The big blow was a two-run triple by Adrian Beltre to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead. The struggling Bryan Shaw entered the game and allowed a sacrifice fly to Odor to make it 5-2, but retired the next two batters to stop the bleeding. Early returns Through their first four innings, the Rockies only collected one hit, but it was a productive one. Carlos Gonzalez came through with an RBI single to score Ian Desmond, who had reached via a walk and then advanced to second base on a balk from Rangers starter Mike Minor. An Arenado sac fly in the sixth inning would be result in the only add-on run scored by the Rockies. The only extra base hit the Rox collected was a double from Tom Murphy in the top of the seventh. Murphy also reached on a walk with one out in the ninth, before Gonzalez grounded into a forceout and Chris Iannetta struck out to end the game.<doc-sep>The Colorado Rockies will look for back-to-back wins for the first time since June 5-6 this afternoon when they take on the Texas Rangers. Kyle Freeland will take the mound for the Rockies against Texas’ Mike Minor. Start Time: 2:05 p.m. MT Lineups Game 2 coming up at 2:05pm Denver time. Let's build on yesterday! pic.twitter.com/wsuFF7sEen — Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 16, 2018<doc-sep>I’m basically afraid to just type the words Texas Rangers else the weeping chasm of despair those letters conjure when combined come for me next. Let’s see. In a day where everyone was placed on the disabled list, Yohander Mendez was staked to a 5-0 lead after the first inning and then promptly gave up six runs in the very next half inning. Then even more people got hurt. Then Jose Trevino debuted and the highlight of his night was corralling Ronald Guzman out of the batter’s box as argued with an umpire like a seasoned veteran leader. The Rangers are so steeped in tragedy as an organization that Matt Moore was summoned after Mendez failed to last longer than three innings and he outperformed Texas’ best ranked upper-level starting pitching prospect with ease. Also, Hans Crouse injured his hand and missed his affiliate ball debut tonight for Spokane. Also, Dillon Tate struck out ten in 6 1⁄ 3 shutout innings. Also, Yovani Gallardo is Sunday’s starter. Player of the Game: Adrian Beltre had two infield singles. What a night! Save your ticket stubs from this one! Up Next: Oh god, more. So many more. But the first of those very many will be Mike Minor for Texas vs LHP Kyle Freeland for the Rockies with a 3:05 pm CT first pitch...you know, unless someone dies or something. (please don’t die anyone)<doc-sep>On a night when it seemed like everything was going horribly wrong once again in the first inning, something strange happened tonight in Texas. The Rockies completely reversed course after a dreadful first inning and won the series opener 9-5. Anything you can do, the Rockies can do better Normally, when a team is on a 3-10 skid and the starting pitcher gives up five runs in the first inning, that’s not a winning recipe. That’s exactly the situation the Rockies found themselves in going into the second inning in Texas. Chad Bettis had a disastrous first inning allowing two home runs and five runs to put the struggling Rockies in a 5-0 hole. There were probably a lot of TVs getting turned off as fans thought here we go again. Then this happened: Actually, make it 6 after Trev drove in another. It started with this Desi homer and ended 42 pitches later with a Desi groundout. Carry on... pic.twitter.com/Yrrfsiy7jK — Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 16, 2018 Ian Desmond strikes again After his grounder to end the third inning rally that he started off with the homer, Ian Desmond hit second home of the game, and 14th of the season, in the fifth inning. Desmond’s production on the road this season, has been surprisingly good with 11 homers on the road. If he could just match it at Coors, he may finally silence his critics. #NolanBeingNolan Instead of the usual Nolan Arenado highlight play at third base, I give you this .gif of Nolan trying out a new position. BREAKING: Nolan Arenado has already been named 2018 #GoldGlove winner in left field. pic.twitter.com/1b7Vi5esMq — Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 16, 2018 Unfortunately, for everyone watching the game, Joey Gallo struck out when the Rockies employed their four man outfield shift strategy, so we were deprived of the opportunity of seeing Arenado’s glove in play in the outfield. Nolan did break out of his offensive slump in a big way tonight though. Nolan hit two doubles and home run and was a big part of the Rockies offensive explosion. Also, tonight's epic comeback may be attributed to this doll being in the dugout tonight<doc-sep>
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ian Desmond homered twice and Trevor Story had a pair of RBI hits in his first game near home as the Colorado Rockies overcame a quick five-run deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 9-5 in the opener of an interleague series Friday night. It was Desmond’s first game in Texas since the converted shortstop was an All-Star center fielder in his only season with the Rangers in 2016. Story grew up about 15 minutes away from the Rangers’ ballpark before he was the 45th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Rockies out of Irving High School. The shortstop, who still lives in the area in the offseason, had an RBI single in a six-run sixth and added a run-scoring double in the seventh to push his NL-best total to 52 RBIs. Texas has a seven-game losing streak, its longest of the season. The Rockies had lost five of their previous six games. Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo each hit two-run homers in the first when the Rangers jumped out to 5-0 lead against Chad Bettis (5-1), another Texas native. Bettis, who is from Lubbock and played at Texas Tech, pitched into the sixth without giving up another run. The right-hander struck out six and walked three. Desmond homered to lead off a six-run second against Yohander Mendez (0-1), the lefty making his first big league start. D.J. LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon had consecutive RBI singles before Nolan Arenado snapped a career-worst 0-for-19 slump with a two-run double. Arenado led off the ninth with his 13th homer. Desmond’s second homer, in the fifth, was his 14th of the season for Colorado’s primary first baseman. It is his fifth career multihomer game, and the first by a Rockies player at an American League park since Blackmon at Yankee Stadium in 2016 TRAINER’S ROOM Rockies: RHP Carlos Estevez, who has been out all season with a left oblique and elbow strain, threw a bullpen session. Manager Bud Black said he threw all of his pitched at a high-level intensity and is “really gaining momentum.” Rangers: Carlos Perez, starting in place of Chirinos, rolled his right ankle extending to catch a ball in the top of the second inning. Jose Trevino, recalled from Double-A Frisco, made his big league when he batted for Perez in the bottom of the inning and then stayed in the game as the catcher. … RF Nomar Mazara was a late scratch from the lineup because of left wrist soreness. … Right-handed relievers Matt Bush (right elbow strain) and Chris Martin (right calf strain) were put on the 10-day DL. UP NEXT Lefty Kyle Feeland (6-6), the Denver native who was 4-0 in interleague starts as a rookie last season, takes the mound for the Rockies in the first of consecutive day games to close out the interleague series. Rangers left-hander Mike Minor (4-4) is working on extended six days of rest after Texas had two off days during the week.