Denver, CO
Phillies walk-off Rockies 2-1 as Colorado drops series opener, first extra-innings game of 2024
The Rockies found misery again in their first extra-inning game of the season.
Philadelphia walked off Colorado, 2-1, in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, dropping the Rockies to 4-13 on the year.
The Rockies couldn’t solve ace Aaron Nola, and then came up short in a pair of opportunities to score in the ninth and 10th innings before Cristian Pache’s single lifted Philadelphia to the victory.
“Whoever came out on the short end of this one, it was going to be a tough one,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters. “Nola pitched great, and so did (Cal) Quantrill. … It was a well-played game by both sides.”
Quantrill was all the Rockies could ask for, throwing six innings of one-run ball with just four hits allowed. It was by far his best start in a Rockies uniform.
His lone blemish came in the third, when Bryce Harper hit a two-out single to score Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
“(Quantrill) had a good split-finger going, and his secondary pitches mixing with the fastballs kept them honest,” Black said.
But as Quantrill held Philadelphia at bay, the Colorado offense got virtually no traction against Nola. That finally changed in the fifth, when Michael Toglia launched a 389-foot, no-doubt homer to right center to tie the game 1-1. Up until that point, the Rockies’ lone baserunners came from singles by Brenton Doyle and Elias Diaz.
Justin Lawrence took care of the seventh inning, and the combination of Jalen Beeks and Nick Mears kept the Phillies off the board in the eighth despite a leadoff walk issued by Beeks to Kyle Schwarber.
In the ninth, Diaz stroked a two-out double off former Colorado pitcher Jeff Hoffman. Kyle Freeland pinch ran for Diaz, getting to third on a wild pitch, and an intentional walk to Nolan Jones followed.
With Elehuris Montero at the plate, another wild pitch from Hoffman was gathered by J.T. Realmuto just off the dirt circle behind home after the ball bounced straight up in the air. The Phillies catcher fired it to Hoffman at the plate and tagged Freeland out.
The Rockies challenged, possibly in an attempt to get an obstruction call, but the call stood to end the inning. Freeland appeared to hurt his right shoulder on the play when Hoffman — his close friend — fell on top of him. Freeland went right into the clubhouse after the play, but then reappeared in the dugout shortly after. The speed at which the play developed exempted Hoffman from an obstruction violation.
“The home plate umpire saw (that play) as a convergence of two players coming in and both trying to make a play,” Black said. “Kyle trying to get to home plate, and Hoffman trying to get the ball from Realmuto. The convergence and the speed of the play was such where no blocking of the plate was called.”
Black said Freeland is “fine” despite immediately rolling on the dirt in pain after the play. The manager said he chose Freeland to pinch run because “we were trying to win the game” and the pitcher “is one of our fastest players.”
Mears went back out for the ninth, and set the Phillies down in order to force extras.
“On the road in the bottom of the ninth against a championship (caliber) team — good for Nick,” Black said. “That was a growth moment for him.”
Seranthony Domínguez pitched the Philadelphia top half of the 10th, but Montero, Toglia and Doyle were retired in order to strand Nolan Jones at third base.
Jake Bird took the mound for the Rockies in the 10th, and the Phillies led off with Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice bunt to advance the runner Bryson Stott to third. Two batters later, Pache singled Stott home on a stroke to right to walk-off the Rockies.
Black said outfielder Jake Cave and second baseman Brendan Rodgers were unavailable on Monday due to sickness, while Kris Bryant — who left Saturday’s game in Toronto with back stiffness and hasn’t played since — was also unavailable.
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-0, 4.91) at Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (2-0, 2.65)
4:40 p.m. (MDT) Tuesday, Citizens Bank Park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Gomber’s lone road start so far this year was mediocre, as Arizona touched him up for four runs in four-plus innings on March 30, which included two homers and three walks. Gomber’s been using his changeup a bit more this year, and he needs his offspeed to be effective, as he’s averaging just 89.9 mph on his fastball. On Monday, he’ll need to be wary of Alec Bohm, as the Phillies third baseman has two homers in five at-bats against him.
Suarez, a southpaw from Venezuela, is off to a solid start to the year. That’s included quality starts each of the last two times out, and a six-inning, no-run gem last week against Pittsburgh. He has 19 strikeouts through 17 innings pitched, so the K-heavy Rockies will need to put the ball in play against him. The Rockies have seen little of him, and haven’t fared well: a .189 average over 37 at-bats.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-1, 3.38) at Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez (0-2, 3.52), 4:05 p.m.
Thursday: Off day
Friday: Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (1-2, 7.98) at Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (0-3, 4.15), 6:40 p.m.
Denver, CO
Denver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired
DENVER (KDVR) — Two officers, one now formerly of the Denver Police Department, face multiple charges relating to separate incidents in the past two months.
According to a release, now-former Denver Police Officer Gabriel Lucero was issued a citation for third-degree assault, official misconduct and false reporting, while Officer Javon Leach was cited for reckless driving and eluding.
The incident involving Lucero reportedly occurred on May 22 just before 1 a.m. in the 500 block of 16th Street. According to a release, Lucero was involved in an assault at a business, as he allegedly assaulted a person and walked away as others continued to assault the victim.
Security guards and an off-duty officer escorted him and the group out; however, Lucero reportedly identified himself as a Denver police officer and attempted to re-enter by using his police badge.
Lucero reportedly provided a false name without any other information, and further investigation verified Lucero as the person involved. Lucero was hired in 2025 and, due to his current probationary status, was fired as of Wednesday.
The incident involving Leach occurred around 1:41 a.m. on June 21, when Leach was reportedly pulling out of a parking lot on Larimer Street, attempting to drive against traffic.
Leach reportedly refused commands to stop as he left the area. Officials said he was found just seven minutes later, traveling at high speeds northbound on Park Avenue West.
He reportedly fled a traffic stop and continued to drive away, and officials deemed Leach to be the suspect following an investigation. He was placed in an off-line assignment while the case progresses, as they are considered misdemeanors.
“The Denver Police Department’s administrative review of Leach’s incident will begin once the criminal case is adjudicated, and that process includes the Denver Department of Safety and the Office of the Independent Monitor, a civilian oversight agency,” the release said.
Denver, CO
Peyton Watson landing spots: Could Nuggets star actually leave Denver?
Denver Nuggets standout forward Peyton Watson could find himself on another team before you know it.
With the Nuggets reportedly open to a sign-and-trade of Watson, could Denver really lose a core piece to their rotation?
It’s hard to imagine many teams being able to shoulder the financial weight of a Watson contract at this point because of the aprons and such, but he’s absolutely an asset to any contending team.
We’ve gone through and identified a few teams that make sense for Watson in the fall… including the one he’s already on at the moment. Hey, he might stay home, you never know!
The Clippers have been linked to Watson as a possible destination; he could help them immensely.
The Pistons have also been linked to Watson, which would help them a lot to contend for an NBA title.
Look, HYPOTHETICALLY, the Nets could move around some cap space with some player trades and such and get a deal done. They are one of the only teams in the NBA right now not in the negative with cap space.
The Grizzlies are the team with the least amount of negative cap space right now, per Spotrac. If they really wanted to pull off a Watson sign-and-trade… it would be hypothetically possible from a money standpoint.
Denver Nuggts
Look, it’s very possible Watson just stays in Denver on a brand-new deal. Who knows at this point?
Denver, CO
City of Denver says images of piling waste a case of illegal dumping
DENVER (KDVR) – A Denver Park Hill Resident says trash in her alley hasn’t been picked up by city-run waste collection in more than 2 months.
“It’s starting to be frustrating because that pile has been there 2.5 months, and I’m not kidding about that,” Andrea Sanders-Childs said.
A spokesperson for Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) says they did receive a call about the address on Krameria in mid-June and are investigating the case as ‘illegal dumping’ versus ‘missed collection.’
The DOTI spokesperson says more information will be available when the inspector assigned to the area returns on Wednesday.
Sanders-Childs said that the people who live in the home closest to the mess had actually rented a dumpster; however, it was eventually picked up and towed away.
In the meantime, for Denver residents, DOTI provided FOX31 with the following reminders:
- Carts that are overfilled, stuffed or too heavy cannot be emptied
- All trash must be inside the cart, and overflow trash cannot be collected
- To report illegal dumping, call 311
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