By Hal McCoy
What teams try to do to the Colorado Rockies is the same thing teams try to do to the Cincinnati Reds — get into the bullpen as quickly as possible.
That was the scenario Friday night and starting pitcher Brady Singer made certain the Reds won that battle.
Singer provided seven innings of two-run, four-hit pitching as the Reds opened the second half of the season with a 7-2 stomping of the Rockies in Coors Field.
It was Singer’s second straight glossy seven-inning performance after holding the Philadelphia Phillie to one run and four hits over 7 1/3 innings, althoug the Reds lost that one, 1—0.
It is quite the turnaround for a starting pitcher that is one of eight starting pitchers in MLB who have lost nine games.
On the other side, the Reds got into the Rockies bullpen when it was 1-1 in the sixth inning.
And they ravaged three Rockies relief pitchers for six runs and six hits that included four home runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Spencer Steer rocked two home runs, including an inside-the-park homer.
Elly De La Cruz had four hits on five pitches, including a home run.
Eugenio Suarez homered for the fourth time in seven games and has reached base in 17 straight games.
For the Reds, a good time is had by all is a common occurence in Coors Field. They’ve won seven straight in Coors and beaten the Rockies 18 times in their last 23 meetings.
Of course, that is what they should do against a team that has lost 100 or more games three straight years, including 119 last year.
And the Rockies were the only MLB team to enter the All-Star game with fewer than 40 wins (39).
The game turned when Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer made a curious decision.
His starting pitcher, rookie Gabriel Hughes, is a master at solving the Rubik’s Cube and he was solving the Reds for five innings.
It was 1-1 in the sixth and he struck out Sal Stewaret to open the inning. But when he walked JJ Bleday on a full count, Schaeffer pulled him.
He brought in former Reds pitcher Jimmy Herget and his second pitch to Steer was lined into the left field seats, a two-run homer to give the Reds a 3-1.
He sped ahead of the next hitter, Suarez, 0-and-2 and Suarez shook his hand in pain on the second pitch. Then he drove a home run over the right field wall and it was 4-1.
They scored an unearned run in the seventh off Victor Vodnik and added runs in the eighth and ninth off Jeff Criswell.
Criswell started the eighth and Steer drove his first pitch off the right center wall. The ball kicked left toward center field and Steer circled the bases for his inside the park home run.
“When I turned first base, I saw it kick off the wall,” said Steer. “It took a huge kick so I just ran my little heart out. That was exciting. That was my first one ever anywhere.”
With the thin air, Steer was gasping for breath in the dugout after his 360-foot all-out sprint around the bases.
“It did take me a few minutes to catch my breath,” he said. “I was gasping there for a little bit, but it certainly was worth it.”
Reds manager Tito Francona praised Steer for his quick burst from the batter’s box when he hit the ball.
“Getting right out of the box. . .if he doesn’t get right out of the box, he has no chance to do that,” he said.
De La Cruz singled on the first pitch in the first, fifth and seventh innings. He waited for the second pitch from Criswell in the ninth and pulled a home run to deep right field.
“There is growth for Elly, for sure, defensively and maturitry-wise,” said Francona of his shorstop who should have made the All-Star team but didn’t.
The Reds had a voluntary workout Thursday night and Francona said, “Elly didn’t try to hit the ball out of the park. He just hit the ball the other way with authortity. I just feel very strongly when guys are doing that, they have better balance and cover more pitches.”
All the late offense nearly overshadowed what Singer did on the mound. He kept the Rockies off balance by throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 26 batters he faced and didn’t walk anybody while striking out six.
Singer’s last eight starts have been top-shelf and he said, “Just getting ahead and getting first-pitch strikes. Just attacking the zone with my stuff. Earlier in the year I was trying to do too much. I’m pitching to my strengths and pounding the zone.
“I’ve been able to turn the corner and it feels good. It’s just fun to be able to throw a baseball for a living.”
Coors is not usually a happy place for pitchers with its outfield as big as the Back 40, but Singer always pitches well in the expansive park in the thin mile-high air.
“The metrics are different, a different place to pitch,” he said. “You aren’t able to spin the ball as much as you’d like, but I’m able to spin it a little bit, which definitely helps.”
Said Francona after Singer improved to 4-9, “He has pitched well lately. He didn’t walk anybody and that might be the biggest thing in this park and he worked ahead and he was really good.
“Even when he wasn’t pitching like he wanted to, he takes so much pride in being available, taking his start, that’s important. Now that he’s throwing the ball well, that makes it even better.”