Colorado Rockies at Tampa Bay Rays: Game #5 Time: 7:10 pm Eastern Time Location: The Best Ballpark in America Broadcast/Streaming: SUN, ATRM Opponent SBNation Site: Purple Row Preview: The Rays look to follow their excellent opening series against the Astros with more of the same against the Rockies. Winning three of four against a team coming off back-to-back deep playoff runs is an ideal start. The Rockies did not get similar results in their first four games. They won two of those games, which doesn’t seem bad. Until you consider those games were against the Marlins. And then...it kind of seems bad. They were shut out 3-0 yesterday and will be looking for a bounce back game tonight in St. Pete. The Rays will open with Ryne Stanek on the mound. Odds are he’ll fill the normal opener role and give way after a few innings. But after what Yonny Chirinos did yesterday, assume nothing. Anything is possible. Maybe he’ll throw a complete game. Assuming that doesn’t happen, Ryan Yarborough will take over after Stanek. Even after switching sports, we haven’t escaped the multiple spellings of the same first name thing people love to do. The Rockies will turn to Chad Bettis, a traditional starter, like a bunch of rubes. Not using an opener at the bottom of the rotation in 2019? Couldn’t be my team. In the lineup, with Joey Wendle out following his injury on Sunday, Ji-Man Choi could return to the lineup to play first with the extremely muscular destroyer of baseballs Yandy Diaz moving back to third and Daniel Robertson playing second. Or something else could happen. I just started covering this sport today. Give me a break. For the Rockies, they have Nolan Arenado playing third base. And he is very good at doing that. Trevor Story is also good at playing baseball. And so is Charlie Blackmon. But none of the three are off to particularly strong starts. For our sake, let’s hope they wait until next week to figure it out. The Rays’ first series went about as well as could be reasonably hoped. The chance to build on that momentum starts tonight. So keep following along here at Ray Charge, your number one source for Tampa Bay Rays coverage. P.S. Just In Case If you came here looking for a preview of the Lightning game...which, why would you? This is a baseball site. But just in case, the Bolts play the Senators in Ottawa tonight at 7:30 pm. The game will be on the normal channels. The Lightning are good. The Sens are not. Neither team has anything to play for other than Tampa still having an outside chance at the all-time wins record. The Bolts will probably be conservative with their injured players meaning Victor Hedman probably sits. Maybe Anton Stralman returns but if not, look for Cameron Gaunce to play on the third pair with Braydon Coburn. The coaches could also put Mathieu Joseph back in the lineup after the fourth line struggled with Ryan Callahan on Saturday. The Sens will probably ice at least a handful of NHL players? Not sure what’s going on up there really. But like I said, this is a baseball site so I’m not sure why anyone would be here looking for hockey coverage anyway.<doc-sep>The Tampa Bay Rays sent their new toy Charlie Morton to the mound to face former Rays farmhand German Marquez. The pitching matchup was as good as anybody could have hoped for. Both pitchers traded zeros for six innings. The Rockies had more opportunities early than the Rays starting in the first inning. Trevor Story followed a Nolan Arenado walk with an infield single giving the Rockies the first threat of the game. Ryan McMahon grounded out to end the rally. Tommy Pham extended his on base streak to 39 games with a single in the first and taking the no hitter off the table. Pham is now tied with Johnny Damon for the longest streak in franchise history. The Rays put a runner in scoring position for the first time in the fourth inning. Brandon Lowe walked with two outs and stole second. Avisail Garcia grounded out to the third baseman. In the top of the fifth the Rockies put a runner on second after a wild pitch with one out. Tony Walters hit a weak flyball to left and Charlie Blackmon struck out to end the frame. Charlie Morton ended his night with a perfect sixth inning including two strikeouts. Charlie Morton struck out six in 6.0 innings allowing only four singles and two walks. The Rays mounted their first serious threat in the bottom of the sixth. With one out Austin Meadows and Pham hit back to back singles. Ji-Man Choi followed with a walk to load the bases. Lowe hit into a double play to keep the game scoreless. Ryne Stanek came in for the seventh and sat the Rockies down in order including striking out Ian Desmond. Garcia led off the seventh with a well struck fly ball to dead center. It died on the warning track however Desmond didn’t complete the catch allowing Garcia to scamper to second. Daniel Robertson flew out to the warning track and the Rays took advantage of David Dahl’s arm to move Garcia to third with one out. Kiermaier followed with a walk to put runners on the corners with one out. Mike Zunino attempted to lay down a safety squeeze, but was unable to keep it fair. Kiermaier stole second base without a throw. Zunino struck out. Willy Adames put the Rays up 1-0 after beating out a two out bunt to third base. However on further review Nolan Arenado was barely able to get Adames out at first, so the game stayed tied at zero. Jose Alvarado came in looking to put up another zero. Alvarado succeeded while striking out all three batters faced. Blackmon had no chance on this 99 mph fastball. With one out the Rays put together another rally. Pham and Choi worked back to back walks. Lowe had another shot to be the hero. Once again he hit the ball on the ground. This time it was soft enough for him to beat out the double play. Garcia grounded out to shortstop to keep the game tied at zero. Diego Castillo was put to work in the ninth. Arenado hit the ball sharply on a line, but it was hit directly at Pham. The Rays would look for their first walk off of the season. Robertson led off with a single past a diving Trevor Story. Zunino ripped a grounder between short and third with Robertson on the move putting runners on the corners with one out. The Rockies opted to play a five man infield moving Desmond from CF to the infield (three infielders to the left of second base and one just on the second base side all playing in on the turf with the first baseman holding the runner on at first). Adames struck out trying to place down a bunt giving the opportunity to Meadows. Meadows was walked intentionally after falling behind 3-0 bringing Pham to the plate. Pham scorched a one hopper to the first baseman for the third out. Wow. 107.2 mph off the bat by Pham but right to the first baseman McMahon. Extras. — Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) April 3, 2019 Chaz Roe looked to keep things tied at zero in the tenth. Roe fell behind Desmond 3-1 before Zunino earned a call on an outside fastball to fill the count. Roe followed with a frisbee that went from back knee to middle of the plate for a called strike three. Raimel Tapia followed with Roe’s second strikeout of the inning. Harrison Musgrave came in to get the Rays two lefties leading off the frame in Choi and Lowe. He got the job done as Choi popped up to the first baseman in foul territory and Lowe struck out. Former Ray Wade Davis was called upon to take on Garcia. Garcia won this battle with a soft liner to center field for a single. Garcia swiped second base putting the Rays one base hit from winning once again. Robertson walked passing the baton to Kiermaier. Kiermaier struck out forcing the game into the eleventh inning. 13 runners left on base for the #Rays. We're off to the 11th — Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) April 3, 2019 The Rays haven’t lacked for opportunities. Rays pitches put down 18 consecutive Rockies batters heading into the eleventh. The scoreless streak was extended to 22 straight. Roe went out for a second inning. Hampton started the frame by striking out. After getting ahead 0-2 on Chris Ianetta, Roe hung a slider middle in that was sent into the left field bleachers giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead. Adam Kolarek entered to face Blackmon. Kolarek gets Blackmon and Dahl to end the ending. Adames gave one a ride to the opposite field but ended up just short as it was caught at the wall. Meadows came up as the Rays last hope. Meadows fell behind 0-2 before working the count full, but struck out to end the game. The Rays lost a game that it felt like they should have won. They fall to 5-2 on the season, and look to keep things rolling in San Francisco on Friday evening.<doc-sep>The Colorado Rockies continued to struggle to find their bats on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. Combine that with some sub-par pitching and you’ve got a 7-1 loss to open this three-game series. Missed opportunities early The Rockies had their chances in this game before the game got lopsided. Leadoff runners would reach and nothing would come of it. It was the kind of game where the offense felt hapless to the point that any deficit would feel insurmountable. It felt like the pitchers had no margin of error before they ever got roughed up in a blowout loss. The difference between this year and last year is that the lineups look great. The kids are playing. Before he got hurt, Daniel Murphy was there as an upgrade. Now we just need those guys to get the job done so the results don’t feel like they did last year, especially on the road. The offense didn’t get any better from there, as Nolan Arenado and David Dahl almost literally provided the only Colorado offense all game. Chad Bettis gets knocked around Early on it looked like Colorado’s fifth starter was going to give his team a chance in this game. He pitched into the sixth inning but eventually ended up with an ugly line. Bettis surrendered six runs on seven hits, including a couple home runs. He looked sharp and struck out some hitters early on, but he eventually was just too hittable and the Rays took advantage. The Rockies got bullpenned That’s a word, right? Ryne Stanek technically started the game, but he handed things over to Ryan Yarbrough after just one inning of work. And while it was technically a bullpen game from the Rays, it was Yarbrough who truly had the Rockies baffled. He went 4.1 innings with three strikeouts as he constantly kept the Colorado hitters off balance. From there it was a few other talented guys you haven’t heard of, as is typical of a game against the Rays. Looking ahead The Rockies will try to get the bats on track on Tuesday. Unfortunately they will have to do so against defending AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell in a great pitching match-up that has Kyle Freeland on the mound for Colorado.<doc-sep>The first day of April is dubbed “April Fool’s Day,” across the United States. For the Colorado Rockies, their bats decided to play hooky, failing to abandon the joke prior to another loss for the club in their first of three games against the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-1. The game followed a similar plot to the two that preceded it. The hitters failed to find a groove, while the pitchers struggled to hold on in their stead. A familiar formula, the results have remained stagnant as well. Ahead are the takeaways from the Rockies’ third consecutive loss. Rockies running low on luck so far Several times this year, the Rockies have fallen at the hands of a lack of favorable happenings. The trend continued once again on Monday as the club was just short of several game-changing events. In both the third and fourth inning, both Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado hit balls out of the park that cascaded barely foul. In that same two-inning span, Garrett Hampson also strayed from the foul line on a perfect bunt attempt to first. Adding to their woes, the defense also felt the effects. The Rays were able to capitalize on several hits that snuck through the infield including Ji-Man Choi’s single prior to a Brandon Lowe home run and a pair of singles before a subsequent three-run longball from Kevin Kiermaier. In just the short span of instances, the Rockies deficit ballooned from two to five. Not everything for the club has to do with luck. A subpar offense and questionable pitching thus far have played a large role. It hasn’t helped though. Outside of a pair of aces, the rotation is questionable Both Kyle Freeland and German Marquez offer the Rockies a high level of confidence. As a pair, they were one of the most dominant duos to end the 2018 season and carried even more potential for 2019. Tyler Anderson, Jon Gray and Chad Bettis thus far have shown far less certainty. As a trio, the back end of the rotation has allowed 14 earned runs in 17.1 innings, along with 21 hits. Each showed flashes including eight hitless innings between them. Explosive innings have been the catalyst for their struggles though as those innings have been offset by five innings with multiple runs allowed. Last year, the three combined to allow 254 earned runs in 468.2 innings including Anderson’s National League-leading 30 home runs. Bettis’ outing was just another example of the rotations’ inconsistency as he was welcomed with Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day,” while departing the field in the sixth. So far, there have been a lot of bad days for the Rockies. Bats start slow once again Five games in and the Rockies have yet to score in a game’s first two innings. In the first three innings, they have a total of two runs. The struggles early are nothing new for Bud Black’s squad. In the first three innings of the 2018 season, the club averaged under two runs per game. Against the Rays and their “opener” strategy, the Rockies garnered only two hits in the opening third of the game, striking out four times including three in their latest opening frame. Much of the Rockies’ early struggles stem from a lack of production from their cleanup hitter. Through five games, Trevor Story sits at 2-for-19, with a lone home run in the season opener salvaging some of his production. With either Freeland or Marquez on the mound, the early struggles for the Rockies offense were muted. But, with the latter portion of their rotation struggling, a quality outing from Gray notwithstanding, the momentum has been on the opposition’s side. Getting hits early will help the lineup all around. Starting slowly makes the game an uphill battle, a struggle that the Rockies can ill afford with Daniel Murphy out and the rest of their lineup sputtering. Rays roster of misfit toys don’t play around To open the year, the Rays were tasked with facing a pair of 2018 playoff participants in the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies. So far, they’re 4-1. Buoyed by the lowest payroll in the league, Manager Kevin Cash and company are winning games behind unorthodox practices and opportunistic offense. Last year, the Rays brought the “opener” strategy into the limelight, beginning their games with shutdown relievers to shorten games from the front end, as opposed to the majority that does so from the tail end. While they have last year’s American League Cy Young winner Blake Snell and veteran Charlie Morton atop this year’s rotation, they’re once again utilizing their gameplan. So far, their plans have held teams to a combined 10 runs in five games, with each of their relievers combining for only one. Leading the lineup in the Rays’ latest win was a pair of hitters acquired through trade, both in the midst of disappointing campaigns in Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows. Cash finished third in AL Manager of the Year voting last year after leading a similar club to 90 wins. So far in 2019, he’s set to capture the hardware that previously alluded him.<doc-sep>
The Colorado Rockies managed to sneak out a 1-0 victory in 11 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon. Those Rockies (3-4) now head home to the Mile High City with some momentum prior to their home opener versus the dreaded Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday. Ahead are the takeaways from the final contest of the Rockies’ opening stretch of road games to start the 2019 season. Chirs Iannetta plays hero Chris Iannetta was the hero of the game for the Rockies Wednesday when he blasted a go-ahead home run in the 11th inning. That lifted Colorado past Tampa Bay, ending their seven-game road trip on a sweet note. Hasta la vista, Florida! Thankfully, that lengthy, seven-game road trip in Florida has come to an end. Colorado finished the opening roadie with a disappointing 3-4 record following back-to-back wins versus the Miami Marlins to start the season. After a frustrating end to the Rockies’ series in Miami, the club headed north for a three-game set against the Rays. Tampa Bay kept the Rockies’ offense guessing, holding them to just two runs in the trio of games. The Rockies have struggled historically in the state of Florida, owning sub-.500 records against both the Marlins and Rays on their home turf. The recent series against the Rays was the first time Colorado played in St. Petersburg since 2004. The Rockies are 10-11 all-time against the Rays and Wednesday’s victory was the club’s first at Tropicana Field in franchise history. Mo’ money, no problems German Marquez is an absolute stud. Wednesday’s start was the first time Marquez faced off against the team that signed him as an amateur free agent. A day removed from agreeing to a reported five-year, $43 million contract extension with the Rockies, Marquez dazzled on the mound for Colorado, hurling seven innings of shutout baseball to keep his club in position to salvage the final game of the series against Tampa. Marquez logged seven innings, allowing just three hits while fanning seven batters. He ended his outing in style, working out of a bases-loaded jam with one out. The 24-year-old punched out Mike Zunino for the second out, which was followed by a sigh of relief. Thst came when third basemen Nolan Arenado made a fantastic play on a bunt to get Willy Adames out by a half a step, preserving Marquez’ outing and a scoreless ballgame. Bunting to the third base side? Not advisable. #NolanBeingNolan 😍 pic.twitter.com/U93m3mMJk0 — Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 3, 2019 Marquez is 1-0 this season with a delightful earned run average of 0.96. The offense continues to struggle Despite securing the victory Wednesday thanks to an 11th inning solo home run off the bat of Iannetta, the Rockies offense collectively has struggled to get going this season. Colorado’s difficulties at the plate this season carried over into Wednesday’s game as the Rockies were unable to generate anything of substance on the base paths. The biggest struggle for the Rockies’ at the plate has been their situational hitting. Colorado was 9-25 with runners in scoring position through their first two games, but following the series in Tampa, the club is just 3-19 in those situations, compiling a .157 batting average. Rockies’ play-by-play announcer Drew Goodman provided an interesting tidbit of information during Wednesday’s broadcast, noting that the Rockies have a swing rate of 51% this season which is the highest in baseball. Also, the Rockies have a 69% contact rate which ranks in the bottom third of the league. Wednesday’s game was especially frustrating for the Rockies considering they managed to get the leadoff batter on in the second through fifth innings and were unable to produce any runs with the opportunities. Additionally, the Rockies logged double-digit strikeouts in every game versusthe Rays, including 13 in the win.