DENVER (AP) -Yorvit Torrealba hit a tiebreaking three-run homer off Livan Hernandez and Colorado led Arizona 4-1 after six innings in Game 3 of the NL championship series on a chilly and damp Sunday night.
The Rockies were trying to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series in their first NLCS home game in franchise history.
Torrealba’s two-out drive to left in the sixth was his first of the postseason. The Colorado catcher pumped his fist in the air as he rounded first base and was mobbed by teammates near the dugout.
The crowd cheered for Torrealba until he popped his head out of the dugout for a curtain call.
Hernandez was pulled after giving up a single to Jeff Baker following Torrealba’s homer. Hernandez lasted 5 2-3 innings, giving up eight hits, two walks and four runs.
Rockies starter Josh Fogg was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth. He went six innings, scattering seven hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Arizona rookie Mark Reynolds homered off Fogg in the fourth, tying it at 1.
Matt Holliday broke out of a slump with his first home run of the NLCS in the first off Hernandez.
The homers by Reynolds and Holliday were the first two of the series.
Reynolds’ drive off Fogg traveled an estimated 422 feet, landing halfway up the left-field bleachers. Reynolds was 3-for-19 in the postseason before the homer.
Reynolds made his major league debut against Colorado on May 16, going 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a walk. He was promoted from Double-A Mobile after third baseman Chad Tracy went on the disabled list with soreness in his rib cage.
Reynolds had a chance to add to Arizona’s total with two outs in the sixth and a runner on second, but struck out looking. He jawed at plate umpire Larry Vanover after the call.
The Coors Field grounds crew was kept busy all evening thanks to a cold, steady drizzle. The crew came out in the bottom of the fourth inning and spread moisture-absorbing dust all around the infield. Arizona second baseman Augie Ojeda smoothed over some of the spots with his cleats.
They dumped a wheelbarrow full of the dust around home plate in the fifth inning.
Holliday, an NL MVP candidate, was hitting .125 in the series with no RBIs coming into the game. He hit .340 with 36 homers and 137 RBIs in the regular season.
The Rockies had runners on first and second in the fourth with two outs, but Torrealba grounded out to Reynolds.
Fogg was bailed out of trouble by double plays in each of the first three innings.
He issued a one-out walk to Chris Young in the third, but Stephen Drew rolled into a 4-6-3 double play.
Fogg worked out of a first-and-third jam in the second when Ojeda rolled a hard grounder to Kaz Matsui, who fired a throw slightly off-line to Troy Tulowitzki.
But the NL Rookie of the Year contender showed his prowess in the field by twirling around and delivering a strike to Todd Helton to double up Ojeda.
The Diamondbacks threatened in the first after Young and Drew singled with no outs. Fogg then helped his own cause by snagging a liner up the middle by Eric Byrnes and throwing to second to double up Young. Tony Clark then flew out to center to end the inning.
There was quite a discrepancy in postseason experience on the mound as Hernandez made his 10th playoff start, and Fogg his first.
Hernandez entered the game 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in three appearances in league championship series games.
Fogg has been dubbed “Dragon Slayer” by teammates for his ability to come up big in important games. There was even a mural of Fogg slaying a dragon hanging from his locker Saturday afternoon. Fogg didn’t know who was responsible for the airbrushed painting, but liked the artwork.
Fans bundled up in fleece jackets, wool caps and gloves – clothing better suited for the ski slopes. It drizzled throughout the day and into the evening, and a light fog also settled over the field.
So it was only fitting that the Rockies sent Fogg to the mound to deal with the elements in the first NLCS game in Denver in franchise history.
Both sides didn’t think the damp, cold conditions would play a major factor in the outcome.
“What elements?” Clark said. “We knew coming in it was going to be chilly. They got to play in it, too.”
Add A Comment
THIS IS NOT A GAMBLING SITE – If you think you have a gambling problem click here.
Disclaimer: This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Individual users are responsible for the laws regarding accessing gambling information from their jurisdictions. Many countries around the world prohibit gambling, please check the laws in your location. Any use of this information that may violate any federal, state, local or international law is strictly prohibited.
Copyright: The information contained on TheSpread.com website is protected by international copyright and may not be reproduced, or redistributed in any way without expressed written consent.
About: TheSpread.com is the largest sports betting news site in the United States. We provide point spread news, odds, statistics and information to over 175 countries around the world each year. Our coverage includes all North American College and Professional Sports as well as entertainment, political and proposition wagering news.
©1999-2023 TheSpread.com