Denver, CO
Marlins look to salvage split with Rockies in Denver
The Colorado Rockies have overcome a rough first month of the season to creep back toward respectability, and they have a chance to keep it going Thursday afternoon
Colorado is 12-9 since entering May having lost 20 of its first 29 games. The Rockies can win another series when they wrap up a four-game home set against the Miami Marlins
The Rockies will send Kyle Freeland (4-5, 3.88 ERA) to the mound while Miami counters with Braxton Garrett (1-2, 4.60) in a matchup of left-handers
Colorado won the first two games of the series before the Marlins rebounded with a 10-2 victory on Wednesday
Freeland should be rested after tossing just two innings in a forgettable start in Texas on Saturday. Freeland allowed eight runs — five earned — on nine hits in an 11-5 loss, a step back for him after four straight starts in which he allowed three runs or fewer.
He had been particularly sharp over his previous three outings. Freeland had two starts which he didn’t allow a run and he was a hard-luck loser in the other, allowing two runs over seven innings of a 2-0 loss at Pittsburgh.
Freeland has emerged as the Rockies‘ ace after German Marquez was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery. He has shown the ability to pitch well after tough games and to give Colorado quality starts and a chance to win
“He’s a veteran pitcher now and it shows in the emotional state, the mental state that he’s in,” manager Bud Black said recently. “He knows who he is as a pitcher. He can have a rough game and then bounce back.”
Freeland has pitched well in five career outings, three starts, against Miami, going 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA.
Garrett has a chance to give the Marlins a series split with a good outing in the getaway game. He has faced the Rockies twice in his young career, going 0-1 with a 3.12 ERA over 8 2/3 innings
If he can get the kind of run support Miami produced on Wednesday, then Garrett has a chance to get his first win against Colorado. The Marlins posted a season-high run total and got home runs from Jorge Soler and Jonathan Davis. They put up 14 hits, four by Yuli Gurriel
Miami’s leading hitter, Luis Arraez, said batting in the thin air doesn’t always mean success for hitters.
“Baseballs are hard to hit,” he said. “Everybody says that Colorado is good for hitting, but I don’t think so — you’re still facing big league pitchers, and you’re trying to do the job, but you don’t do it every time — especially me. We’re human. We’ve just got to continue to play hard.”
Arraez leads the majors in batting with a .371 average, but he could be sidelined for the last game of the series. He left the Wednesday game in the seventh inning due to left leg cramps, a common issue for players coming to play at altitude.
The Marlins announced that Arraez’s exit was a precautionary move, so the ailment is not expected to be a problem moving forward
–Field Level Media
Denver, CO
Laws Whiskey House opens two-story bar and lounge in Denver
Laws Whiskey House this weekend will unveil the pièce de résistance of the two-story addition to its Denver distillery: A sprawling upstairs bar and lounge with a twilight view of the mountains.
Distillery co-founder Al Laws spent seven years overseeing the construction of the 4,000-square-foot Whiskey Sanctuary, located at 80 W. Arkansas Ave. between South Broadway and the light-rail line. The upstairs lounge is the last section to open in the new space, which includes a tour room, a small bar and sectionals downstairs.
A spiral staircase with tall white balusters leads to the new floor. (There is also an elevator.) Upstairs, the bar wraps around in a sleek oval with plenty of seating, while larger parties can settle down in the mid-century style sofas and chairs.
The tasting room serves ten signature cocktails using Laws liquors, such as a whiskey sour ($12) made with its Four Grain Bourbon. The bar incorporates the house-made Blanco agave spirit into the Siesta ($13), along with Campari, lime, grapefruit and organic agave nectar. There is also the Jungle Bird ($14), a boozy cocktail made with Aperol, pineapple, lime and an 85-proof rum named after Laws’ wife and distillery co-founder, Marianne.
Cocktail glasses sparkled in the dimly lit space during a soft opening last week. The sun had long set. Bordered by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the lounge, the backlit mountains dissolved into the night. Peyton Mason, the CFO of Laws, called it “the best seat in the house.”
A Laws packaging facility is visible from the lounge’s overlook. The company, which initially hoped to open the Whiskey Sanctuary by August or September, recently cut hours for two of its packaging employees due to the changing tides of the industry, Mason said. Laws employs fewer than 40 people, he said.
Flights and single pours are also available upstairs. Bar snacks include chorizo ($6) and veggie ($5) cones, almonds and olives ($5) and tinned fish at market price.
The ground floor opened a couple of months ago for distillery tours starting at $20 a person. Participants enter a room meant to resemble a chapel (Laws himself hand-carved the pews), walk into the distillery and exit through a small bar where they can order pours of bourbon and rye whiskey varieties.
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Denver, CO
LA Chargers rally past Denver Broncos with first fair-catch kick since 1976
Trailing 21-13 at halftime Thursday night against the Denver Broncos, some wondered if the Los Angeles Chargers had any resolve left after going through their worst four-quarter stretch of the season.
The Chargers put some doubts to rest getting back on track and getting closer to wrapping up a playoff spot.
Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 19-yarder to Derius Davis early in the fourth quarter, as the Chargers rallied for a 34-27 victory.
Los Angeles (9-6) have a 97% probability of making the playoffs with the win according to the NFL. They can wrap up their second postseason berth in three seasons Sunday with losses by Indianapolis and Miami.
“It was a total team effort by everyone. It was phenomenal,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “The test and challenge is how you are going to respond. They went back to work and stayed the course.”
The Chargers’ comeback also included Cameron Dicker making the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL in 48 years. He was good from 57 yards on the final play of the first half to pull the Chargers to 21-13.
Denver (9-6) could have clinched a playoff spot but had their four-game winning streak snapped. The Broncos still have an 85% chance of making it, but they have tough remaining tests at Cincinnati on 28 December and at home against Kansas City in Week 18.
“Obviously, a disappointing loss. There was a lot at stake, and we know that,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “We had a fast start, and then uncharacteristically this season, we didn’t finish or play nearly well enough in the second half, both offensively and defensively.”
The Broncos appeared well on their way to wrapping up their first postseason berth since 2015 after they scored on their first three drives to go up 21-10. But after Wil Lutz’s 41-yard field goal midway through the third quarter gave the Broncos a 24-13 advantage, the Chargers stormed back.
“First three drives, 21 points, and then just kind of stalled,” said Bo Nix, who completed 29 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns. “We got the same defense (in the second half). Just for whatever reason, we couldn’t get going.”
Gus Edwards – who had 14 carries for 68 yards – went off five yards off left end for his second touchdown of the game to get the Bolts within 24-19, but the two-point conversion was no good when Herbert was stopped short of the goal line.
Edwards also burrowed in from the 1 in the first quarter to tie it at 7.
After Denver went three-and-out for the second time in three possessions, the Chargers took their first lead. On first-and-10 from the Denver 19, Herbert – who completed 23 of 30 passes with an interception – scrambled left and threw across his body off his left foot to Davis with 12:29 remaining.
“We had him on a little bubble out of the backfield. I scrambled out, saw the pressure and he just turned upfield and made an incredible play,” Herbert said.
Herbert then found Joshua Palmer in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion. Palmer made a one-handed grab before going out of bounds to make it 27-24.
Los Angeles put it out of reach with 2:27 remaining on Herbert’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Hassan Haskins.
Lutz narrowly made a 55-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining to get Denver within a touchdown, but Los Angeles’ Nick Niemann recovered the onside kick to dash any hopes of a comeback.
Herbert completed passes to 10 players, including Ladd McConkey, who had six receptions for 87 yards.
Nix had a pair of touchdown passes in the first half – a one-yard pass to Michael Burton off a rollout and a six-yard throw to Devaughn Vele in the left corner of the end zone – and completed 15 of 21 passes for 155 yards before halftime.
Audric Estime’s three-yard run off right guard gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. It was only the third time this season Denver reached the end zone on their opening possession.
The Chargers were outscored 48-13 in four quarters that included the second half against Tampa Bay and first half against Denver.
Going into halftime, the defense had a stretch where it had allowed scores on 13 of 18 drives (including eight touchdowns) and forced only two punts in seven quarters.
Instead of Harbaugh addressing the team at halftime, it was safety Derwin James.
“I feel like, as players, we need to take it upon ourselves. This is our team too,” James said. “And I feel like, man, my message was simple. Man, it’s time for us to play ball. And I feel like, as a team, we just came out and did that. It was nothing rah, rah, rah. It was just, it’s time to go, man. It’s time for us to play our best ball in December, January. I feel like we did that today.”
Denver gained 212 yards on their first drive and 229 in the first half, but just 107 after halftime.
Coach Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers took advantage of a seldom-used fair-catch kick, which allows a team that has just made a fair catch to try a free kick for three points. The kick is attempted from the line of scrimmage, and the defending team must stand 10 yards away.
The Chargers were able to try it because Denver’s Tremon Smith committed fair-catch interference on what would have been the final play of the first half when Los Angeles’ Derius Davis attempted to field Riley Dixon’s punt at the Chargers 38.
The penalty moved the ball to the Denver 47 for an untimed down. The Chargers also were the last team to successfully execute a free kick when Ray Wersching converted from 45 yards for San Diego on 21 November 1976, against Buffalo.
Denver, CO
Bo Nix 1-yard touchdown puts Denver back in front 14-7
Denver has had two possessions in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
So far, the Broncos have executed them perfectly — scoring another touchdown to go back up 14-7.
Quarterback Bo Nix tossed a 1-yard score to cap the 12-play, 70-yard drive.
Nix prevented a three-and-out and moved the chains with a 10-yard scramble on third-and-9. Then a few plays later, Nix hit receiver Devaughn Vele for a 15-yard gain to put Denver at the Los Angeles 33.
After the quarter break, the Broncos moved down to the 11-yard line with back-to-back 4- and 18-yard completions to receiver Courtland Sutton — his first touches of the game.
A couple of plays later, Nix connected with fullback Michael Burton on the right side for a 1-yard touchdown to put the Broncos back up by a touchdown.
That was Nix’s 21st touchdown pass of his rookie season.
Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman, who is active after missing the last four games with a groin injury, was examined in the medical tent before sitting back on the bench on the sideline.
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