Baseball in altitude has produced four-hour games and football-type final scores since 1993, but with the new rules things are different in Denver.
At least for a day.
The Colorado Rockies had one of their most efficient games in Coors Field history when they beat the Washington Nationals 1-0 in their home opener on Thursday. The game lasted 2 hours, 18 minutes, and moved quickly throughout.
Colorado will try to make it two straight wins when it hosts Washington in the second of the four-game series on Friday night.
The Nationals will send MacKenzie Gore (1-0, 1.69 ERA) to the mound against Jose Urena (0-1, 15.43).
Gore was a key piece acquired in last season’s trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, but he was injured at the time and didn’t pitch for Washington until this year.
His debut with his new team was encouraging — he allowed one run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. It stands as the Nationals’ only win in their first seven games.
He got the game ball after that win, making his day even better.
“Yeah, that was cool,” he said. “That usually means you pitched all right.”
Gore will be tested Friday. He faced the Rockies twice last season when he was with the Padres, going 0-2 with a 19.89 ERA, with one of those starts coming in Denver. He fared better in altitude than he did at home. He lasted four innings at Colorado and just 2 1/3 at home.
He has allowed 14 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Rockies.
Colorado hoped for more offense Thursday but did end a four-game skid. The expected return of outfielder Randal Grichuk (bilateral sports hernia surgery) later this month should help. If the Rockies can get pitching like they did from Kyle Freeland on Thursday, they can survive silent bats.
It will be tough for Urena to match Freeland, who has yet to allow a run in 12 2/3 innings this season. Urena struggled in his first start this season Saturday at San Diego, but the right-hander should bounce back against an offensively-challenged Washington team.
Urena is familiar with them. In 15 career appearances, including seven starts, against the Nationals, he is 5-3 with a 3.66 ERA. He last faced them in 2019 when he was with the Miami Marlins.
Pitching has always been an issue for Colorado, and it took a hit when closer Daniel Bard went on the injured list to deal with anxiety and depression. It did give an opportunity for Pierce Johnson to take over the ninth inning role and he has done well with it.
He has converted both save situations, including Thursday’s perfect ninth, and it gave the Rockies something unique — the starting pitcher and the closer are both Colorado natives who starred for their respective high schools.
“It was great to see a bookend of Kyle and Pierce on Opening Day, and what this means to our fans and our state,” manager Bud Black said.
–Field Level Media