Rockies Toss Shutout, Defeat Braves

The Colorado Rockies defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-0 on Tuesday night, keyed by the electric performance of one of its unquestioned stars. He is a household name among Rockies fans, a man who gets it done on both sides of the ball, as it were. He helped shut down the Braves last night and was right in the middle of the Rockies’ offensive outburst with his electrifying athleticism and ability.

It should be clear by now whose praises I am singing. Need a hint? His first name is Carlos…well that obviously gives it away.

Presenting: Carlos Torres.

Torres tossed 3 shutout innings and he continues to grind away in the paired pitching system. He came through like a true grinder in the victory, surviving some traffic on the bases. Last night this role was especially important because it helped define Drew Pomeranz‘s tedious start, in which he completed 3 difficult innings. Because they were difficult, Torres entered sooner than one would have hoped. If Torres gets roughed up, we are lamenting the fact that Pomeranz struggled again; his success in getting this game to Rex Brothers and Matt Belisle means we can regard Pomeranz’s start as something to build on.

You know how they say black shoes make it look like you are running faster?

Carlos Torres makes his black shoes look faster.

He drew a savvy walk, went first to third on a Dexter Fowler single, and then scored on a wild pitch. The Braves, clearly deflated by Torres’s devastating display of well-rounded talent, never had a chance to put up a fight as this game neared its ending.

Torres did need the help of a crazy double play to escape the 6th inning. Anybody who has played baseball knows the temptation of trying to steal a run with guys on 1st and 3rd. Many probably participated in the drill where the player trying to steal 2nd gets in a rundown long enough to allow the runner from 3rd time to score. But, how often did it actually work in games? Like never, right? The Braves learned that lesson again last night. The Rockies were helped in this instance by two outstanding throws by Wilin Rosario and DJ LeMahieu.

The Rockies jumped out to an early lead thanks to the home run ball, as the other Carlos (Gonzalez) and Jordan Pacheco each went deep. Dexter Fowler added 2 hits from the leadoff spot, and the team was able to nail down an impressive road victory.