Seventh seals doom for Rockies at home

Potential rally in ninth inning gets snuffed out

Saturday night, playing the cellar-dwelling Reds and still trying to establish momentum at Coors Field, the Rockies unleashed a few effective strokes to erase deficits and put themselves in position to win, with a one-run lead, heading into the seventh inning. Then it all fell apart. Relievers Chris Rusin and Bryan Shaw imploded in the inning as Colorado threw 17 pitches and allowed three runs before even recording an out. That meant a 4-3 lead had flipped into a 6-4 deficit and placed the pressure back on the Rockies’ offense.

The Rockies nearly rose to the task of another comeback, chipping away with one run in the eighth to make it 6-5 before loading the bases with no outs in the ninth. On the cusp of victory, a Charlie Blackmon fielder’s choice and then a game-ending doubleplay lineout by David Dahl sealed the defeat.

Dahl was the offensive bright spot for Colorado with three runs batted in, while Blackmon also had an RBI triple on a night when, once again, the Rockies had too few flashes offensively.

Coming into the game, the Rockies had a chance to jumpstart their bats, considering they faced the National League leader in home run rate in Tyler Mahle, who had been yielding 2.18 dingers per nine innings.

But instead, it was the Reds who highlighted the biggest home run issue in the Colorado rotation, as starter Tyler Anderson gave up two longballs to put the Rockies in a couple of early holes.

Anderson’s 12 total homers allowed are the most of any Rockies starter this season, and his homer rate (1.76) is third worst in the NL. The southpaw also has given up homers in seven of his 11 total outings, and multiple homers in three of his last five starts.

Second baseman Scooter Gennett struck first with a solo homer to right center in the first inning, but Colorado retook the lead off Dahl’s third-inning double that made it 2-1.

But the Reds (19-34) retaliated in the fourth when, with a man on, catcher Tony Cruz crushed Cincinnati’s longest homer of the season, a 449-foot no-doubter to left that made it 3-2.

Blackman’s triple and Dahl’s sac fly gave the Rockies one last lead.

Joe Mahoney, Getty Images The Reds’ Scooter Gennett jogs to home plate after hitting a home run in the first inning Saturday against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Joe Mahoney, Getty Images Rockies starting pitcher Tyler Anderson went six innings Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out two.