Colorado Rockies morning after: Ryan Castellani’s first MLB win was an odd one

Both the Rockies and D’backs had to scratch someone before the game.

After the Rockies scratched Blackmon, the D’Backs scratched their starting pitcher Merrill Kelly about 20 minutes before the first pitch. They placed him on the 10-day injured list with a “nerve impingement” to his right shoulder.

Kelly told the media, via Zoom, after the game that he had been dealing with the issue for the last ten days or so. However, a few days ago, he had an MRI and an ultrasound on the shoulder and there didn’t look to be anything wrong. It got worse in the last “three to four days,” the pain was “nagging” but he thought he could get through it. Once he started warming up for the game, though, he said that it got worse than it was before so he and the D’Backs made the decision to scratch him from the start.

Taylor Clarke started in his place and he pitched four innings, allowing two runs (one earned).

An early start to the game for the Rockies

The Rockies changed the lineup up a bit with Charlie Blackmon vacating the three spot so Bud Black moved everyone up a spot after Blackmon.

Before the Rockies could even get to the three spot in the lineup (occupied by Nolan Arenado on Monday), second hitter Trevor Story hit a 449 foot, solo home run to left field to make it 1-0 Rockies.

Arenado singled on the very next pitch but Daniel Murphy, who has been struggling a lot lately at we mentioned in our keys to the series on Monday, grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Ryan Castellani retired the D’Backs 1-2-3 in the first but he walked Christian Walker with one out in the second inning. Eduardo Escobar followed with a single to center field, with a shift on. However, he was out at second base on a phenomenal, heads-up defensive play by Nolan Arenado.