Maybe it was the new, sunset-inspired City Connect uniforms. More likely, it was the shutdown start by Antonio Senzatela, a salty bullpen, excellent defense and some timely hits that finally stopped the Rockies’ avalanche of losses.
Whatever. The Rockies will take it.
They beat the Nationals 3-1 in the second game of a split doubleheader at Coors Field Sunday night to end an eight-game losing streak. The Nationals took the first game, 3-2.
“We have been playing good baseball the last four games, and we were just missing the key hit, so this feels good tonight,” said center fielder Mickey Moniak, who made a circus catch in the first inning and came through with a two-run triple in the fourth.
“Coming on after a tough loss in Game 1 today, the boys are fired up,” Moniak continued.
In Game 2, Colorado eked out two runs in the fourth, and one more in the eighth, but it was enough because relievers Jake Bird, Zach Agnos and Tyler Kinley blanked the Nats for the final three innings. The Rockies’ bullpen has posted a 1.47 ERA through its last eight games.
Agnos, making his major league debut, allowed one hit in the eighth. Kinley gave up a leadoff hit but then struck out the side to secure his first save.
In the fourth, Nationals starter Brad Lord plunked Jason Stallings, Aaron Shunk looped a double to right, and Moniak brought them home with a triple into the gap in left-center.
Pinch-hitter Nick Martini’s RBI groundout scored Jordan Beck in the eighth to provide Colorado with a comfort zone.
Senzatela set the Rockies up for success with six strong innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out two and walked one.
“I felt like my command was working tonight and I was able to out the ball where I wanted,” Senzatela said. “And there were a lot of good catches behind me. It was a good game overall for the team.”
The Rockies played terrific defense behind the right-hander. Moniak ended the first with his diving catch in center, which manager Bud Black tagged as the game’s turning point.
“You never know when a key moment is going to occur, but that Moniak catch in the first? Now about that?” Black said. “Two guys on, a bullet by (Dylan) Crews. If Mickey doesn’t catch that, it’s in gap, two more runs and you don’t know what happens from there. That was, for us, a momentum-changer.
“From there, ‘Senza’ locked in and I thought he did a really good job pitching inside. He choked off some swings and jammed both right- and left-handed hitters.”
More defensive help came from Beck, who made a sliding catch in left field in the second, and shortstop Aaron Shunk, who turned Crews’ hot shot into an out in the fourth.
Washington grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first, combining a leadoff walk by James Wood and an RBI single by Nathaniel Lowe. But Senzatela silenced the Nats after that and finished with 11 outs via groundballs.
In Game 1, the Rockies had no margin for error — or errors — and it cost them.
Two critical throwing mistakes by rookie catcher Braxton Fulford in Washington’s three-run second inning turned out to be the difference.
Crews stole third base and raced home when Fulford threw the ball into left field.
The Nationals then loaded the bases when starter Kyle Freeland walked Jacob Young and Trey Lipscomb reached on an infield single. It looked like Freeland would escape the inning with minimal damage when Nasim Nunez chopped the ball back to Freeland, who threw to home for the force out, only to see Fulford blow the tailormade double play by sailing the ball over the head of first baseman Michael Toglia, allowing two runs to score.
“Braxton has one of our strongest arms, and he’s probably our best thrower (among catchers) in the organization,” Black said. “I’m not in his body, but younger players put a lot of pressure on themselves. And we are seeing it firsthand with a lot of our young guys. … That might have something to do with it.”
The errors took some of the shine off the day for Fulford and for rookie right fielder Zac Veen, both of whom hit the first home runs of their careers. Fulford and Veen became the second pair of teammates in franchise history to hit their first major league home run in the same game, joining Edgard Clemente and Curtis Leskanic on June 9, 1999, vs. Seattle.
The Rockies had a chance to tie the game in the ninth with Ryan McMahon on third, but Nick Martini grounded out to end the game.
Veen led off the third with a 412-foot blast to right field off Washington’s Jake Irvin. Fulford led off the sixth with a 433-foot monster shot to left off Irvin, for the first hit of his career.
But those two homers were the extent of Colorado’s scoring. Irwin limited Colorado to three hits, struck out nine and walked none.
Freeland pitched only two innings, forced from the game by a finger blister on the middle finger of his left hand. Finger blisters have plagued Freeland from time to time throughout his career.
“For the most part, it’s manageable,” Black said. “But I know that this week it was a little tenous. Unfortunately, today, the blood blister formed, and it was starting to get a little raw. I felt that if he kept going, it would compromise the ensuing start.”
