Detroit Tigers fans crammed into Comerica Park hoping to witness history Saturday afternoon.
Miguel Cabrera made sure they didn’t have to wait long to see it, as the Rockies assumed an oddly familiar role in allowing the Tigers slugger to notch hit No. 3,000 in the first inning of a day-night doubleheader in Detroit.
The future Hall of Famer laced Antonio Senzatela’s 1-1 fastball to right field to become the 33rd player in MLB history to reach the benchmark — and fourth to do so against the Rockies — as well as the seventh to amass 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in a career.
“You could tell there was a little bit of a buzz for sure, and it grew as the game got closer to first pitch,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters after the first game. “… Then when the Tigers came up to hit in the first you could sense that the crowd was anticipating greatness, and it happened.”
They got more of it two batters later, when rookie first baseman Spencer Torkelson drove a Senzatela fastball into the right field stands for a three-run homer — his third of the season and a harbinger of an afternoon of Rockies discontent in a 13-0 loss.
But thanks to home runs from Connor Joe and Charlie Blackmon, and six innings of shutout ball from starter Austin Gomber, Colorado earned a measure of redemption with a 3-2 win in the nightcap.
Gomber had complete command of his nasty curveball, which predictably led to the left-hander’s most productive start of this season: eight strikeouts, four hits and zero walks on 88 pitches.
It was a different story from Game 1, when the Tigers accumulated 20 hits and a trio of four-run innings in a lopsided loss reminiscent of the Rockies’ 2021 road struggles.
“It was really special to see history,” Joe said on the TV broadcast after the nightcap. ” … Unfortunately that first game got a little out of hand for us, but great to see this team bounce back and get a win on the second part of this doubleheader.”
The Tigers crowd was on its feet when Cabrera hit the third pitch he saw Saturday to reach 3,000. Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias, a former Tigers teammate, ran over to give Cabrera the ball and a hug at first base. It was one of many as teammates and family flooded the field for a brief celebration.
Colorado is now tied with the Senators/Twins franchise for most 3,000th hits allowed. Rickey Henderson (Oct. 7, 2001), Craig Biggio (June 28, 2007) and Ichiro Suzuki (Aug. 7, 2016) also got their 3,000th against the Rockies.
That Cabrera’s historic hit also came against a pair of fellow Venezuelans — Senzatela and catcher Elias Diaz — added another layer of significance for Colorado.
“I think it was a day that Venezuelans should be very proud of, and I know that our guys are very proud of their home country and they are very proud of the baseball that’s played there,” Black said. “To have one of their own get 3,000 hits, what an achievement, and to witness it is something that I’m sure all of our players are going to remember.”
After the 37,566 on hand for the opener sat back down, Senzatela struck out Jeimer Candelario to give himself a chance to escape the first inning unscathed. But second baseman Brendan Rodgers made a mental mistake that kept the door open.
With two outs and runners on the corners, Rodgers fielded a Jonathan Schoop grounder up the middle and tried to throw across his body to first base rather than flip to Iglesias at second for a force out. Schoop beat the throw, and Torkelson sent the very next Senzatela pitch 354 feet the other way to put Detroit up 4-0.
“That was a play that in real time, you’re trying to get to the ball to first,” Black said. “I’m sure in hindsight Brendan would probably (say), ‘Gosh, I wish I would have throw the ball to second,’ but he didn’t.”
Senzatela had just one hiccup the rest of his five innings, finishing with 10 hits, five earned runs and three strikeouts, but fell to 1-8 away from Coors Field since 2021. Relievers Ty Blach and Lucas Gilbreath were tagged for four earned runs apiece over 1 2/3 innings combined to add to the carnage.
The Colorado bats reverted to familiar road struggles as well, getting shut out for the first time in 2022. Left-handed starter Tarik Skull limited the Rockies to five hits over six innings with six strikeouts.
Colorado twice loaded the bases, including with one out and Kris Bryant and C.J. Cron due up in the sixth, but got nothing out of it either time. Bryant struck out and Cron popped out in foul territory to end the first threat, and Rodgers flied out weakly to right to strand three runners on the game’s final out.
Joe broke the Rockies’ run of 11 straight scoreless innings, and extended his hit streak to 10 games, with a leadoff home run off Detroit right-hander Beau Brieske to start the nightcap. Two frames later, Blackmon golfed a low curve 361 feet to right for a two-run homer that put Brieske, a CSU-Pueblo product, in a 3-0 hole after just three innings in his MLB debut.
While that was all the Rockies could muster against Detroit pitching, it was just enough.
Gomber kept the Tigers off-balance in his first win of the season. Robert Stephenson and Tyler Kinley each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. And Alex Colomé held on for dear life in the ninth, despite giving up a two-out, two-run triple to Austin Meadows, by striking Harold Castro out on three pitches for his second Rockies save.
Colorado will go for its second straight road series win Sunday in Motown.
On Deck
Rockies RHP Chad Kuhl (1-0, 0.87 ERA) at Tigers LHP Tyler Alexander (0-1, 4.26)
11:10 a.m. Sunday at Comerica Park
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
While Kuhl was signed away from the Pirates to be a back-end starter in the Rockies rotation, he has pitched more like an ace early on this season. The right-hander has just one earned run through 10 1/3 innings, with his 0.87 ERA the eighth-best in the National League. He threw six scoreless innings his last time on the mound, striking out four in a 4-1 win over the Phillies. This will be his second career start at Comerica Park, with his first appearance resulting in a win after he surrendered four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh.
Alexander lasted just one inning last time out, getting pulled after a 42-pitch first frame in an eventual 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees. It was a bit of a hard-luck start for the lefty, who gave up two runs in the brief stint, but neither was earned. Alexander had much better command in his first start this season, going 5 1/3 innings on 73 pitches (49 strikes) with four strikeouts and three earned runs off five hits and zero walks. In his fourth season in the big leagues, Alexander will face the Rockies for the first time.
հԻ徱Բ:The legend of Ezequiel Tovar continues to grow. After a strong spring training with the big club, the Rockies’ budding shortstop prospect slashed .304/.396/.609 through his first 12 games with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. On Friday night, he hit a pair of home runs, the last a three-run walk-off dinger that handed the Yard Goats a 7-6 win.
At issue: Kris Bryant entered Saturday’s nightcap homer-less through 12 games with the Rockies. The team’s prize offseason free-agent addition last hit a homer Oct. 8, 2021, in Game 1 of the Giants’ NLDS against the Dodgers. Throw in the last four games of that series, and Bryant had not homered in 16 straight.
Pitching probables
Monday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-2, 7.71) at Phillies RHP Kyle Gibson (1-1, 3.57), 4:45 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-0, 4.67) at Phillies RHP Zach Eflin (0-1, 5.27), 4:45 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Rockies TBD at Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (1-0, 4.38), 4:45 p.m., ATTRM
