BULLPEN HELPS FUEL L.A. SWEEP
ANGELES» When the LOS
Rockies last left Chavez Ravine, they did so in shambles. A 5-0 lead over the Dodgers turned into a 12-6 loss on June 25 as two Colorado pitchers combined to throw seven wild pitches and the bullpen gave up eight runs in two innings.
In a four-game series sweep of the Dodgers, finalized Sunday with an 8-1 victory, the Rockies rebounded. They locked down one of the best hitting teams in the National League with a parade of shutdown relievers. Over 16 innings, Colorado’s bullpen allowed just two runs and eight hits, good for a terrific 1.13 ERA.
“How we’ve been playing here, on the road so far, is huge for us,” left-hander Jake McGee said. “We’re feeding off the atmosphere. And the main guys are only pitching when we have to pitch. We have tons of depth down there. It’s been showing in the past week.”
The extra rest afforded by expanded September rosters has allowed Rockies manager Bud Black to use struggling relievers in low-leverage situations while saving the excelling pitchers for key moments.
Take, for example, Scott Oberg. He was pitching on three days’ rest Thursday when he struck out two Dodgers in the eighth inning. He then pitched on back-to-back days Saturday and Sunday, and struck out six batters in two total innings. The Rockies won a season-high sixth consecutive road game.
“I just feel comfortable out there,” Oberg said. “It’s pretty easy to get up for this series. The last couple nights, in playofftype atmospheres, on the road, against the Dodgers, that bodes well for us going forward.”
Oberg’s rise set up McGee, and others, to lock down late innings. McGee on Saturday set down the middle of L.A.’s order — Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig and Austin Barnes — in the eighth. He walked off the field to a stunned and silent sellout crowd.
“After I was done pitching, I was in the dugout and (rookie Ryan) McMahon was looking around (at the crowd),” McGee said. “For a lot of guys who’ve never been in a playoff atmosphere, this is what it is, when the fans get that excited. Playing in front of 50,000 fans, it’s pretty cool.”
Footnotes. The Rockies activated lefty Tyler Anderson from the 60-day disabled list. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, reliever Jairo Diaz went on the 60-day DL with an elbow issue . ... Carlos Gonzalez played in his 1,099th game Sunday, moving into third place in Rockies history. — Nick Groke, Denver Post