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Rockies crumble late, lose second game of series to Mets following Victor Vodnik’s messy ninth inning

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Rockies crumble late, lose second game of series to Mets following Victor Vodnik’s messy ninth inning


After Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner lasted just one inning on Wednesday, the Rockies bullpen picked him up in a performance that was superb — until the final moment.

The Colorado relievers held the Mets in check for most of the second game of the series, but rookie right-hander Victor Vodnik wilted in the ninth, yielding three decisive runs in a 5-3 defeat at Coors Field.

“The bullpen pitched well until the ninth, and pitched well (Tuesday in a 6-3 win),” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “When you go to the bullpen so early, in this case, we used six relievers. To win this game, they all would’ve had to pitch well. We got really close, but we didn’t get it done. We had a couple opportunities offensively too, and we didn’t capitalize.”

In the opening frame, Feltner wasn’t sharp as the Mets dinged him for a run. Francisco Lindor led off with a single, then stole second. That continued a troubling trend for Feltner’s slow delivery with men on base, as the pitcher has given up more steals than any pitcher in the National League.

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With two outs, Pete Alonso then singled Lindor home, and Alonso stole second before Feltner got Jeff McNeil to pop out to end the threat.

Feltner was pulled from the game due to a shoulder/upper lat issue and will likely go on the injured list, according to Black.

“I was a little more sore than normal after my last start,” Feltner said. “I thought it would go away, thought it would get a little better, but I felt it again tonight. Lat soreness. I wanted to try to (push through), but it was one of those things where it was getting worse, and I didn’t want to make it worse than worse. It was tightening up on me.”

The Rockies quickly squared the game in the bottom of the first inning, using Ezequiel Tovar’s solo homer off Paul Blackburn to make it 1-1. Tovar’s 434-foot homer to center careened off the top of the Bridich Barrier and into the New York bullpen for the shortstop’s 19th dinger of the year. It was Tovar’s fourth homer over his last seven games at home.

The visitors retook the lead in the second off long-man Noah Davis. Tyrone Taylor’s single scored ex-Rockie José Iglesias, who stopped around third, then started again, when Brenton Doyle bobbled the ball in center field on a play that was ruled an error.

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Both pitchers settled in a bit after that, before Colorado tied the game 2-2 in the fourth on an infield single by Kris Bryant. That scored Brendan Rodgers, who led off with double.

And there the game would stay until the final inning, as both pitching staffs settled in.

Blackburn finished with two runs over six innings for the Mets, striking out six Rockies, while Davis was effective with three scoreless innings following the second. Recent addition Chasen Shreve threw a scoreless sixth in his Colorado debut, Angel Chivilli put up a zero in the seventh and Tyler Kinley did the same in the eighth.

“I flipped back into starter mode, which is something I’m comfortable with,” Davis said. “I got in and attacked the zone, didn’t try to do too much, and got some quick outs to get us deeper into the game.”

Meanwhile, the Mets bullpen was also effective as right-hander José Butto blanked the Rockies in the seventh and eighth.

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But the pitching duel came unglued for Colorado in the ninth.

In that frame, Francisco Alvarez hit a one-out triple on a 3-0 count off Vodnik off the out-of-town scoreboard in right field and Ben Gamel followed with a walk. That prompted a “Let’s Go Mets” chant from the blue-and-orange faithful on hand, and Vodnik responded with another walk, this time to Taylor.

That brought New York’s leadoff man and all-star shortstop to the dish, and Lindor delivered with a two-RBI, opposite-field single on the first pitch he saw to make it 4-2. Jesse Winker followed with another hit, pushing the score to 5-2 and earning Vodnik the hook.

“It’s one of those (outings) that I’ve just got to let go,” Vodnik said. “I was trying to be a little too fine tonight and got behind in counts that I should’ve been ahead of, and I let it get away from me.”

Michael Toglia led off the ninth with a triple off Edwin Diaz, that like Alvarez’s hit ricocheted off the out-of-town scoreboard. But it was too late for a comeback, even after Jake Cave’s RBI groundout cut the deficit to two.

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The Mets tallied their 17th last at-bat win of the season, tied with the Dodgers for the most such wins in the majors.

Thursday’s pitching matchup

Mets LHP David Peterson (5-1, 3.47 ERA) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (3-6, 4.66)

1:10 p.m. Thursday, Coors Field

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

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In a showdown between southpaws, Peterson returns home. The Regis Jesuit alum is submitting another solid season, bouncing back from the 5.03 ERA he posted last year. In two starts against the Rockies, he is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA, but has never pitched at Coors Field. He’s coming off a quality start against the Angels, with two earned runs in six innings, an outing in which he induced 13 groundball outs. Current Rockies haven’t seen much of him, although Elias Diaz and Ryan McMahon both have homers off him. For Gomber, his performance has been hit-and-miss lately. But in his last outing, he looked solid, throwing seven innings of two-run ball against the Padres. The blemishes in that performance were a pair of solo homers. He’s been a good pitcher in LoDo this year, with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts compared to a 5.37 ERA in 12 starts on the road.

Pitching probables

Friday: Braves RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (4-5, 4.04) at Rockies TBA, 6:40 p.m.

Saturday: Braves LHP Max Fried (7-6, 3.40) at Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (7-8, 4.56), 6:10 p.m.

Sunday: Braves TBA at Rockies TBA, 1:10 p.m.

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Denver, CO

Bo Nix’s footwork is “a lot better” as he plays under center more. Coincidence?

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Bo Nix’s footwork is “a lot better” as he plays under center more. Coincidence?


On the first of Bo Nix’s four touchdown passes against Green Bay, he did what he does more frequently than any quarterback in football.

Nix escaped from the pocket and took off running. He moved up and to the left before hitting Michael Bandy for a 20-yard catch-and-scamper.

The next three touchdowns, though, are where the Broncos offense can dream about a deep postseason run or even more.

Nix, operating from the gun, delivered strikes of all shapes and sizes and did so with clean footwork in the pocket.

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He identified coverage, took a short, one-step drop and fired a perfectly placed low ball to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Then a three-step drop to get the ball up and down with beautiful pace and timing to Courtland Sutton one-on-one up the right sideline.

Nix polished off the fourth touchdown when he five-step dropped, hitched up in the pocket twice and uncorked a rocket up the seam for Troy Franklin on a motion and route concept the Broncos have made hay on most of the year.

The Packers game represented a breakout as Nix completed 23 of 34 passes for 302 yards and the four touchdowns, but his game’s been heating up more broadly over the past month.

He had an efficient day in a much different style against Las Vegas, completing 31 of 38 passes and engineering three battering-ram touchdown drives. He threw for 616 yards in the two weeks before that in wins over Washington and Kansas City.

In those four games, Nix has completed 69.5% of his passes for 282.5 yards per game and thrown five touchdowns and an interception. Before that stretch, he completed 60.9% and averaged 212 yards per game.

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What’s changed? Start from the ground up.

“I think his footwork has got a lot better,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “And the way he handles himself in the pocket, trusting the protection. We’ve talked about it all year and the last four games he’s done a really good job of that.

“He’s moving when he needs to and he’s hanging in there when he needs to.”

Head coach Sean Payton earlier this season said the quarterbacks get some specific footwork drilling done during a normal game week but not a ton. They’ll work a particular concept or drop between periods, but for the most part, the work is plan-specific.

Nix, though, has been working on his own pocket presence in his own ways in recent weeks.

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“I think he’s probably one of the best … at learning from mistakes, and looking in the mirror and seeing what his weaknesses are,” tight end Evan Engram told The Post.

“He’s sitting in there, he’s trusting the protection, he’s letting it rip. And that’s something that he saw. And he worked on. And like – I can’t say how hard that is. I’ve never done it in my life. You’ve got freakin’ monsters rushing you, every play. And credit to the O-line, too.

The staff also appears to be doing a better job of helping get Nix into good rhythm. Part of that is by playing more frequently from under center. The touchdowns outlined above came out of shotgun, but one commonly held belief is that playing from under center helps keep footwork clean because a quarterback is forced to do it coming back from the center.



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Nikola Jokic passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most assists by center in NBA history as Nuggets beat Magic

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Nikola Jokic passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most assists by center in NBA history as Nuggets beat Magic


For his latest trick, Nikola Jokic dribbled into oncoming traffic and escaped unscathed.

Sometimes after he reels in a defensive rebound, the Nuggets center prefers to launch an aerial attack with one of his long outlet passes. This time, he brought the ball with him up on his usual route up the middle of the floor. Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. trailed him by a step. Up ahead, Tyus Jones veered into his lane from the left, sensing an opportunity to pick the pocket of a lumbering big man.

But Jokic is nimble. Before Jones could cut across his front side, he anticipated the attempted swipe and transferred his dribbling hand with a behind-the-back move that shouldn’t have looked so graceful. Jones whiffed. Carter caught up, but Jokic decelerated to allow him to pass. Then the newly minted best passing center of all time went behind the back again — this time, a dime to Jamal Murray, who finished the play with a lefty floater.

Denver’s stars were just showing off at that point in the third quarter of a 126-115 win over the Magic that wasn’t always so smooth-sailing.

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DENVER , CO – DECEMBER 18: Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets passes behind his back as Tyus Jones (2) of the Orlando Magic watches during the third quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

It was a monumental night. At 30 years old and 302 days, Jokic passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday for the most assists by a center in NBA history. Coming into the game, all he needed was six to match Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 5,660. He finished the evening with 13, highlighting a 23-point, 11-rebound triple-double.

“For those of us that love the history of the game, that one should be wrote about and talked about, and that should be a national story,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “Because that’s passing a guy that you could argue — if you just want to go by generations and not, ‘Who’s the best player of all time?’ and all the talk-talk stuff — Kareem is in the conversation. Look at his MVPs. Look at the winning. And our guy tonight from Denver just passed him in a category.”

“This is a time that I can be able to look back and appreciate all the years I’ve had to play this game with him,” Murray said. “It’s special. Passing Kareem in anything is pretty cool. So I think it just speaks to his greatness and how unselfish he is.”

Jokic has also passed other Hall of Famers including Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson on the all-time list this season, now ranking 50th overall in career assists. Next up for him to catch is another legendary passer, Larry Bird. Jokic is 28 away from tying him.

“I always say the assist makes two people happy (instead of one). My coach ‘Deki,’ he always said that,” Jokic said Thursday, paying homage to the late Golden State Warriors and Mega Basket coach Dejan Milojevic.

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“Maybe it’s not a splashy pass or whatever,” the three-time MVP continued, “but I think when you make the right play, you’re going to feel good about yourself.”

Adelman was especially adamant about the historical significance of the occasion. He gave Jokic the game ball in Denver’s locker room after the win.

“It’s such a cool thing, because it’s Kareem, who was passed by LeBron (James) as the all-time leading scorer, which puts in perspective who Nikola passed,” Adelman said. “So it’s a celebration of both people. It’s somebody that completely changed the game. The sky hook. The longevity. … I feel like in the modern era, we talk about Tom Brady and all these people. But go look at Kareem. The guy changed his name while he played. The guy plays 20-plus years and, until the very end, was impactful on teams that went to the Finals. So for Nikola to pass him, I think, says a lot. And if we’re going to celebrate what LeBron did, (we should celebrate this also). And I know it’s a different kind of thing because it’s a center, it’s a position. I’ll just keep saying it. Just don’t get tired of this, because it’s unique.”

Jokic is also closing in on Oscar Robertson for second all-time in triple-doubles. Thursday was his 177th, bringing him within four of the iconic guard. He became the first center in league history to average a triple-double last season, and he’s on pace to do so again this year with 29.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.

Orlando called a timeout after Jokic and Murray combined for that saucy transition bucket in the third quarter. As they sauntered to the huddle, Nuggets assistant coaches Ognjen Stojakovic and JJ Barea could only laugh at the duo’s skill and panache.

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DENVER , CO - DECEMBER 18: Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic laughs as the Orlando Magic take a timeout during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 126-115 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
DENVER , CO – DECEMBER 18: Assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic laughs as the Orlando Magic take a timeout during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 126-115 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, December 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

“That’s how kind of we made our staple in that second unit growing up, was just the give-and-go,” Murray said of Jokic’s passing. “… A lot of give-and-go, and you could see his court vision and his fluidity.”

The Nuggets did most of their work Thursday during an astonishing second quarter. They flipped a 47-33 deficit with a 35-7 run that only took the last 6:26 of the first half. Murray scored 20 of his 32 points in the frame. Reserve point guard Jalen Pickett ignited the comeback and was a plus-26 in eight minutes of playing time that quarter.

Both teams were short-handed at Ball Arena. Orlando was fending without Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. Denver was down three of its best defenders with Peyton Watson (right trunk contusion) ruled out shortly before tip, joining Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon on the shelf.

In Watson’s place, Bruce Brown started his first game as a Denver Nugget since April 9, 2023. David Adelman used 10 of his 11 available players, including Julian Strawther, who was cleared to play earlier this week after missing a month with a back injury.



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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine


When: Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown: 

Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.





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