Reds 7, Rockies 2: Not enough offense (again)

Edouard Julien powers an offense that can’t finish the job

The Reds took the lead in the first inning on a weird bloop single from Elly De La Cruz that scored Dane Myers. followed that up with a two-run homer, and the Rockies were down 3-0 as the first inning ended. (FWIW, Steer is now 3-for-8 against Kyle Freeland.) Making matters worse, it took 31 pitches to get out of the inning. “Not a good first inning for us after sweeping the Mets,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. The Rockies got their first hit in the second inning with a Tyler Freeman lead-off single, but nothing came of it. Also, I would not be doing my job if I did not share with you this De La Cruz defensive gem: The Rockies got on the board in the third when Edouard Julien, who walked in the first inning, hit a lead-off home run, making the score 3-1. The Reds re-established their three-run lead in the bottom of the third, however, when De La Cruz tallied his second RBI of the night, and the score was 4-1. Julien struck again in the fifth inning when he hit an RBI single to bring home , and made the score 4-2. The Rockies tried to rally in the sixth with runners on second and the third with one out following a Troy Johnston double, but they were unable to capitalize. The sixth inning was the last for . He finished the evening with 6.0 IP, giving up two runs (both earned) on seven hits. He struck out nine and allowed one walk. After that, the Reds went to their bullpen, which finished the job Burns had started. The Reds did not score again until the eighth inning when De La Cruz hit a two-run homer, which put the Rockies behind 6-2. It was another stellar outing for De La Cruz who finished the evening going 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. After that, the Reds continued to get hits, and by the time the eighth inning ended, the score was 7-2. The Rockies continued to get players on base but failed to bring them home — in fact, they had baserunners on base each inning. All told, the Rockies went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They struck out 12 times and walked twice. While hits were spread through the Rockies lineup, the standout was Julien who was 3-for-4 with a walk, a run, and two RBI. “Situational baseball, not good today,” Schaeffer said.