It took 14 innings and required clutch defense, but the Rockies gutted out a 5-4 win over the White Sox Sunday afternoon at Guarantee Rate Field.
Colorado manufactured the winning run in the 14th when Sam Hilliard’s sacrifice bunt moved Ryan McMahon from second to third, and then McMahon scored on Michael Toglia’s sacrifice fly.
Lefty reliever Jalen Beeks kept the White Sox from scoring in the bottom of the frame to help the Rockies end their five-game losing streak.
The Rockies won despite getting only six hits, striking out 21 times and going 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position.
Without web gems from center fielder Brenton Doyle, left fielder Nolan Jones, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and third baseman Ryan McMahon, the Rockies would not escaped Chicago with a victory in the three-game series.
Long before the 3-hour, 25-minute marathon was decided, lefty Kyle Freeland gave the Rockies 6 2/3 workmanlike innings. His only big mistake through the first five innings came in the fourth. He threw a misplaced 0-1 slider to leadoff hitter Andrew Vaughn, who parked the ball to left to get the White Sox on the scoreboard.
The sixth was a little rough for Freeland. He gave up solid singles to Vaughn and Eloy Jimenez, but Freeland’s defense rescued him. Doyle did a Superman dive to rob Luis Robert of a hit, and Jones snared Paul DeJong’s sinking liner.
Chicago tied the game, 2-2, in the seventh when Freeland faltered. Corey Julks and Lenyn Sosa opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and Danny Mendick’s perfect bunt moved them into scoring position. Freeland got out No. 2 by inducing pinch-hitter Korey Lee to pop out to center fielder Doyle.
But then Freeland walked Tommy Pham, loading the bases. Manager Bud Black called on right-hander Victor Vodnik, but Vodnik walked Vaughn on five pitches to force in the tying run.
The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the second by doing something they haven’t done very often on the road this season: string quality at-bats together. McMahon led off with a single and raced to third on Elias Diaz’s single. McMahon scored on starter Garrett Crochet’s balk and Diaz advanced to second.
Toglia’s single moved Diaz to third and Diaz scored on Hunter Goodman’s sacrifice fly to right.
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