News
Reds stung by latest loss to Rockies
Rolen hits homer in ninth but Cordero misses save chance
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
09/10/09 1:22 AM ET
DENVER -- It's getting to the point that if a John Denver song were played in the Reds clubhouse, players and manager Dusty Baker might get a nervous twitch. The Reds have not known the Rocky Mountain high of beating the Rockies for quite some time. A 4-3 loss on Wednesday at Coors Field was particularly difficult to swallow because the game seemed in hand. After a Scott Rolen homer in the top of the ninth provided a one-run lead, Colorado scored two in the bottom of the ninth on a Seth Smith two-out, bases-loaded single against closer Francisco Cordero for a walk-off win. "This team here the last three years has some sort of magic at home," Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo said. "They don't go down very easily. If it's close, they give themselves a chance. They stole it from us." The Reds have lost all six games played against the Rockies this season and seven in a row going back to 2008. Since 2007, they've dropped 13 of the last 14 games against Colorado, which is in the lead for the National League Wild Card. "They took it from us, the same as the first night here," Baker said. "They're a hot club right now. When you're a hot club, you expect good things to happen, you seem to get the bounces." Cordero blew his third save in 36 opportunities, and this one was a doozy. With one out, Clint Barmes hit a double to left field. That wouldn't have normally been a big deal, but Cordero followed with eight straight balls that walked pinch-hitters Jason Giambi and Ryan Spilborghs to load the bases. Cordero (2-5) struck out Carlos Gonzalez and then faced Smith with eight-straight fastballs that were all gas -- in the 96-98 mph range. Smith fouled off three 2-2 pitches before hitting a roller toward second base. Brandon Phillips made a diving attempt, but the ball kissed off his glove and rolled away. By the time Phillips retrieved the ball, pinch-runner Jason Marquis scored from second with the winning run. "Two outs, bottom of the ninth, you have to give Smith some credit," Baker said. "He fouled off some very tough pitches. We still had action on getting out of that, big time. It was a very tough play. The ball didn't hop our way. It's simple." The Reds scored three runs over the last two innings after being down, 2-0. Rolen was leading off in the ninth of a 2-2 game when he lined a Matt Daley 1-1 pitch to left field that just cleared the fence. After being held to one hit over the first seven scoreless innings, the Reds lineup finally came to life in the eighth against Rockies starter Jason Hammel. Wladimir Balentien led off with a double and scored on Darnell McDonald's RBI double to left field. With one out and facing Rafael Betancourt, pinch-hitter Kevin Barker lined a game-tying RBI double to right field. "We got a little something going in the eighth and tied the game back up," Rolen said. "We were able to put a little more pressure on them than earlier." Arroyo worked his ninth straight quality start by pitching seven innings and allowing two runs and five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He is 2-3 with a 2.19 ERA over his last nine starts. "It was a little bit of a battle for me," Arroyo said. "I didn't have the greatest stuff. The air up here makes it tough for me to throw a real good breaking ball, so it was definitely a chess match." Eric Young Jr. and Gonzalez began the Colorado third inning against Arroyo with singles, and Smith got Young home with a sacrifice fly. A two-out single by Garrett Atkins scored Gonzalez. The Reds notched their first hit off Hammel in the first inning when Paul Janish hit a double to the left-field corner. They didn't have another baserunner until Balentien drew a one-out walk in the fifth. The next hit didn't come until the eighth when Balentien led off the critical game-tying rally with a double. "Offensively, we didn't get a lot of opportunities," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "We took advantage of what was out there for us. You have to have pitching. You have to match up with what's going on, on the other side of the field. Bronson Arroyo did a tremendous job. But so did our guy."Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
