Johnny Cueto Stymies Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds Win 5-2

Jul 12, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher J. Cueto (47) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds played out the second game of their three-game set on Saturday night at Coors Field in Denver.

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The Colorado Rockies never figured out Johnny Cueto, and the Cincinnati Reds scored four runs in the third — including a three-run home run from Todd Frazier — on their way to a 5-1 victory in Denver’s Coors Field on Saturday night.

Chris Rusin started for the Rockies and got into trouble in the third inning, allowing Frazier’s three-run home run immediately after he allowed an RBI single to Joey Votto, and the Reds were up 4-0 almost immediately against one of the Rockies’ better starting pitchers this season.

The Reds put another run across in the fourth inning after challenging a tag play on a Joey Votto groundout; the ensuing replay overturned the third out of the inning, and Billy Hamilton‘s run coming home from third counted, making it 5-0 Cincinnati.

The story of the game, unfortunately for the Rockies, was Johnny Cueto. The Reds’ starter — the product of trade talks for the better part of the last month — was masterful, throwing eight shut out innings and holding the Rockies to just four hits and a walk while striking out five Colorado Rockies.

In the ninth, the Rockies pushed two runs across, highlighted by Carlos Gonzalez‘s single followed by Daniel Descalso‘s RBI groundout and another run scored on an error, but the Rockies would never get closer.

The biggest — and worst — news for the Rockies was Nolan Arenado being hit by a pitch from Cueto late in the game. He stayed in for a while, but was removed before his at-bat in the ninth. X-Rays were negative on his hand, fortunately, but he was sore after the game.

The series is split, now, with the rubber game coming up on Sunday afternoon in Denver, before the Colorado Rockies head out to Chicago and St. Louis on a seven-game road trip.

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