Rockies vs. Cubs: Rox offense can’t keep up in second straight series defeat

The Rundown

The Rockies looked to bounce back in Wrigley after the offensive onslaught in Arizona to start the season. The Chicago cold seemed to rub off on the bats of the Rockies, as they were shut out by Cubs pitching in game one. Shoto Imanaga dazzled in his MLB debut, going six scoreless innings of two hit ball, striking out nine and taking a no hitter into the sixth.

Unsurprisingly, it was Charlie Blackmon who broke up the no-no with a single to center followed quickly by a Brendan Rodgers knock, but the Rockies failed to plate any runs in their mini rally. The Cubs broke through against starter Dakota Hudson in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three unearned runs on another Nolan Jones defensive gaffe. Chicago tacked on two more in the seventh, and the Rockies offense limped to the finish line for a 5-0 game one final.

Game two featured another Kyle Freeland "disasterclass", as the Rockies ace gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings. A balanced attack by the Cubs lineup brought their lead to 10-0 in the sixth following a Garrett Cooper three-run blast. The only sign of life from the Rockies offense came on Michael Toglia’s first home run of the season, and Colorado dropped game two by a score of 12-2.

Game three looked to be no different with the Cubs jumping out to a 5-0 lead following a Seiya Suzuki homer in the fifth. But this time around the Rox wouldn’t go down without a fight, plating two runs in the sixth after Kris Bryant’s first hit of the season, one in the seventh on a Blackmon double, and five in the eighth to tie the ballgame at 8-8. The five-run breakout was Colorado’s highest scoring inning of the season, culminating in an Ezequiel Tovar double to deep left center. Unfortunately, after the leadoff batter reached on a dropped third strike, Chicago was able to squeak out the go ahead run off of Nick Mears and Adbert Alzolay closed the door on the Rockies comeback attempt to finish out a thrilling 9-8 ballgame.