Denver, CO
Rockies rattle Diamondbacks’ playoff hopes with 8-2 victory at Coors Field
Spoiler alert: Should the Diamondbacks fall out of the wild-card playoff race, they might point to this September series with the Rockies.
Last year’s surprise National League pennant winner has owned the Rockies for the last two seasons. But these September Rockies aren’t those Rockies.
They proved it again Tuesday night with an 8-2 romp over the D-backs at Coors Field. Colorado won Game 1 of the series, 3-2, on Monday night. The Rockies might still be roadkill away from LoDo, but they’re tough to beat at Coors, where they have a 19-12 record since July 4.
The victory was the 535th for manager Bud Black, who bypassed Clint Hurdle for the most in Rockies history.
“I’ve been a part of (milestones) before … it’s great,” Black said after veteran players Charlie Blackmon, Kyle Freeland, and German Marquez doused him with a celebratory beer-and-shaving-cream shower. “It’s great. It’s part of what makes us love the game. And when it’s over for all of us, it’s moments like this that you remember.”
Colorado’s formula Tuesday night included an excellent start from right-hander Ryan Feltner, home runs from Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman, and timely hitting up and down the order. Colorado hit 5 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Arizona entered the night 8-3 in its last 11 games vs. the Rockies, and 18-6 in its last 24 dating back to the start of the 2023 season. But after losing two straight at Coors, they are now tied with the Mets for the NL’s final wild-card playoff spot.
Feltner, his fastball humming, pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up just one run on five hits. He struck out only two but got a lot of weak contact, and Colorado’s defense backed him up with stellar play.
“I was on the same page with ‘Stahls’ all night, and we had great defense all night,” said Feltner, referring to veteran catch Jacob Stallings. “Just being able to trust Stahlings back there, and trusting the defense, it just frees me up. All of my pitches were working tonight and I just kept trying to pound the zone.”
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers fed Tovar at short to turn a sweet double play to end the sixth, and center fielder Brenton Doyle, in the hunt for his second straight Gold Glove, made a running catch in center field to rob Eugenio Suarez of extra bases in the seventh.
“It’s incredible,” Feltner said. “He floated like 20 feet in the air, it looked like from the pitcher’s mound.”
Feltner is turning the corner. Since July 2, he’s posted a 3.25 ERA, with a 1.26 WHIP and a .230 batting average against. Plus, the Rockies have won in each of his last five starts.
“The conviction with the fastball is key,” Black said. “When a pitcher believes in his fastball, and you have a good fastball, it makes the fastball better.
“It’s still a fastball of 93-94-95-96, and he’s had it all year. But for whatever reason, his conviction with his fastball for the past month makes it better. He wills it to good spots. He wills it to get outs.”
Still, Feltner had not won a decision at Coors since Aug. 9, 2022, vs. the Cardinals, an unwanted franchise record of 21 consecutive starts without a win at home. He was aware of the history, but not concerned.
“It doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t look into that stuff,” he said. “I just go out there to try and win the game.”
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers and shortstop Tovar turned a sweet double play to end the sixth, and center fielder Brenton Doyle made a running catch in center field to rob Eugenio Suarez of extra bases in the seventh.
The D-backs scored their only run off Feltner in the fourth, combining a leadoff double by Pavin Smith, a sacrifice bunt by Jake McCarthy and a groundout by Suarez.
Tovar (3 for 5, two RBIs) continues to prove he’s one of baseball’s best shortstops. He led off the third with a homer off Jordan Montgomery for his team-leading 25th long ball of the season. Tovar has also hit 43 doubles, the most by a shortstop in franchise history, the second-most in the NL, and the most by a Rockie since Nolan Arenado swatted 43 in 2017. The last Rockies player who had more than 43 doubles in a season was Matt Holliday, who had 50 in 2007.
In the seventh, Goodman, serving as the designated hitter instead of catching, hit a two-out, 441-foot solo blast to center off lefty reliever Blake Walston. It was Goodman’s second straight game with a homer, his fourth of the current homestand, and 13th of the season.
Colorado strung together three hits off Montgomery to take a 2-0 lead in the third. Michael Toglia led off with a soft double into no man’s land in shallow right field and scored on Stallings’ double to left. Jordan Beck (2 for 3) drove in Stallings with a two-out double to left.
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Originally Published:
Denver, CO
Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine
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.
Denver, CO
Denver airport delays, crashes, broken windows, downed power lines: What to know about Colorado’s windy Wednesday
Hurricane-force winds in Colorado on Wednesday had a major impact across the Denver metro area, Front Range, and foothills. It’s a First Alert Weather Day because of the dangerous conditions.
Gusts of over 100 mph — equivalent to a category 2 hurricane — were reported in some parts of the Front Range, and over 100,000 people were without power as of 7 p.m. On Berthoud Pass, between Empire and Winter Park, wind gusts reached at least 102 mph. They reached 97 mph at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Boulder County, 96 mph in Marshall, and 93 mph in West Arvada.
Several highways were closed, Denver International Airport saw dozens of delays, power lines and other property damage were reported, schools were closed, Denver’s holiday events were canceled, and thousands of homes and businesses were without power after Xcel’s Public Safety Power Shutoff and unplanned outages.
Power shutoff
Xcel Energy was implementing what it calls a Public Safety Shutoff, for only the second time ever in Colorado. An estimated 50,000 people across the Front Range were impacted, mostly in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties.
Restoration for some areas was expected to start around 6 p.m. Wednesday, but many customers told CBS News Colorado that Xcel told them it could be up to three days before their power is restored.
As a result, the Colorado Division of Emergency Management opened charging centers, shelters, and resource centers in the impacted areas.
Xcel said it shut off the power in these areas because of the combination of wind speeds and dry conditions that increase the chance of wildfires.
Once conditions improve, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney said crews will begin inspecting lines to determine when power can be restored.
“Once the wind event stops, that does not mean your power will be immediately restored,” he said. “We have several hundred crew members that are already being pre-positioned, that are on standby, so that when the wind event does end, they will be able to immediately begin inspecting the lines. They have to visually inspect the lines for damage before restoring the power.”
Delayed flights
The Federal Aviation Administration called for a ground delay at Denver International Airport from 5 through 8 p.m., although that’s subject to change, based on evolving weather conditions.
As of about 6:30 p.m., 66 flights were delayed, and one was canceled.
Wind gusts were recorded at around 40 mph at the airport around 5 p.m.
School closures
Several school districts — including Jefferson County, Colorado’s second-largest — closed schools, and many also canceled after-school activities.
The University of Colorado cancelled classes, but the Buffs’ basketball game against Portland State is continuing, although fans are not allowed to attend.
Highway closures
Several highways in the foothills near Boulder, as well as in Northern Colorado up to the Wyoming state line, were closed. At least one crash also closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 on the Eastern Plains.
Those planned closures included:
- Highway 93 between Boulder and Arvada
- Highway 36 between Boulder and Lyons
- Highway 128 from Superior to Highway 93
- Highway 287 between Ted’s Place and the Wyoming border closed this afternoon, but has since reopened
Damage and other closures
Power lines were reported as having fallen across the Denver metro area, adding to the number of customers without power.
A number of local businesses were also forced to close — some out of caution, others due to a lack of power.
Car and structure windows were also broken by flying debris, like this car in Boulder, whose windows were shattered by small, flying rocks.
Despite losing power around 10 a.m., Ace Hardware in Golden remained open and kept busy, selling generators, flashlights, batteries, and tools and materials to prevent or fix damage.
Some business owners raised concerns about what a days-long outage could mean for their companies, products, and customers.
“We could lose everything,” DeAnn Wieber, owner of the Windy Saddle Cafe in Golden, said. “We could lose all our food, the time that it took to prepare everything, and we just don’t know. And there’s are a lot of businesses going through the same thing.”
Denver, CO
Canceled due to high winds: Wednesday’s drone show, holiday tree, Christkindlmarket
Downtown’s Mile High Drone Show, the Denver Christkindlmarket and access to the Mile High Tree have been canceled for Wednesday, Dec. 17, due to high winds, said producers at Visit Denver.
The city’s tourism arm on Wednesday morning decided to cancel the shows and outdoor holiday market for this evening “due to weather conditions,” as well as cut off access to the 110-foot LED icon known as the Mile High Tree, through which visitors can typically walk and snap selfies.
Denver is forecasted to endure wind gusts of up to 50 mph on Dec. 17, with gusts of up to 75 to 80mph possible in higher elevations. High winds, low humidity and the possibility of wildfire led Xcel Energy to cut power to more than 100,000 Front Range residents by Wednesday morning. Xcel Energy also sponsors the Mile High Tree.
Denver Christkindlmarket is scheduled to run through Dec. 23 at the Auraria Campus.
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