ST. LOUIS — Thursday’s game against the Cardinals felt like a high-wire act across the Grand Canyon for the Rockies. One misstep and they were goners.
That fatal mistake arrived in the ninth inning when Jose Martinez roped a one-out, two-run, walk-off single off Colorado closer to lift St. Louis to a 3-2 victory. The white-knuckle win gave the Cardinals a series victory in the four-game set at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis has won every home series against Colorado since 2010 and is 34-13 at Busch Stadium III all-time vs. the Rockies, the highest winning percentage (.723) against any National League team at the ballpark.
“I just left a couple (of pitches) up over the plate and they hit some line drives,” said Davis, who had entered the game having given up just one run in 19 ⅔ relief innings in his career vs. the Cardinals.
Starter Antonio Senzatela gave the Rockies just about all they could ask for in a tight game, pitching six innings, allowing one run on five hits. pitched a perfect seventh and faced just three batters in the eighth.
“I thought I attacked the hitters, and I thought my fastball away and my sliders were a good combination,” Senzatela said.
But Davis couldn’t close the deal for Senzatela, blowing his fifth save of the season. He gave up a one-out single to Greg Garcia, followed by another single by Harrison Bader, who stole second base, setting up Martinez’s game winner.
“Obviously that stolen base there didn’t help either,” Davis said after his ERA crept up to 4.57.
Colorado’s offense was tepid again, while St. Louis delivered when it had to.
“When you string hits together, you have a chance to win ballgames, and that’s what they did in the ninth inning,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Colorado bats were quiet during the four-game series here, but they squeezed out two runs in the fourth inning. singled and laid down a gorgeous bunt single down the third-base line. Arenado scored on ‘s bloop single to left for the first run. Then Ian Desmond reached on an infield single and Parra came around to score on starter Miles Mikolas’ wild throw to first.
But that was it, as the Cardinals blanked Colorado for the next five innings, spoiling Senzatela’s strong performance.
The right-hander whiffed five, and none of those strikeouts was bigger than the one he got to end the sixth and escape a bases-loaded mess.
Senzatela looked to be easily out of the inning when he struck out Yairo Munoz on a ball in the dirt, and with Tyler O’Neill on first base after a walk. But then catcher made a huge mental error. Rather than simply throwing to first base to retire Munoz after strike three, Wolters threw to second in a vain attempt to get O’Neill. The ball sailed into center field for an error, and when Senzatela hit Greg Garcia, the bases were full.
But Senzatela struck out Bader on a check swing to end the threat. Wolters explained that he “just wasn’t thinking” when he made made the uncessasary throw to second.
The Rockies begin a three-game series at Milwaukee on Friday night.
Looking ahead
Rockies RHP German Marquez (6-7, 3.43 ERA) at Brewers RHP Junior Guerra (6-7, 3.43), 6:10 p.m. Friday; ATTRM, 850 AM
Marquez has been rolling, going 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA over his past five starts. He’s 5-3 with a 3.15 ERA on the road this season, but has never pitched well against Milwaukee. In three career starts vs. the Brewers he’s 1-1 with a 6.06 ERA. In Colorado’s 5-2 loss to the Brewers on May 10 at Coors Field, Marquez gave up five runs on 12 hits in 5 ⅔ innings. Guerra will be making his 21st start of the season, and the Brewers are 11-9 when he’s been on the mound. He’s coming off a lackluster start in an 8-5 loss at San Francisco, during which he allowed five runs on five hits (including a home run) over four innings. The right-hander’s only appearance vs. the Rockies came on opening day, 2017, when he left the game in the third inning with a strained calf, having giving up two runs on one hit. — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Saturday: Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (6-3, 3.69) at Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (4-2, 3.61), 5:10 p.m., ATTRM
Sunday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (9-7, 4.99) at Brewers LHP Wade Miley (2-1, 1.53), 12:10 p.m., ATTRM
Monday: Pirates RHP Joe Musgrove (4-5, 3.63) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (9-7, 3.20), 6:40 p.m., AATRM
Journalism doesn’t grow on trees. Please support The Denver Post.
.
