The Rockies were clueless against Zach Eflin. At least for six innings.
By the time the Rockies had an inkling of how to solve the Baltimore’s right-hander, it was much too late, and the Orioles rolled to a 6-1 win on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, clinching the three-game series.
Mercifully, for Rockies fans, at least, the game was over in 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Fresh off his stint on the injured list, where he recovered from shoulder inflammation, Eflin pitched a perfect game for five innings. He finished his day with a seven-inning gem. He allowed one run on four hits, fanned nine and walked one.
Rockies right fielder Jake Cave broke up Eflin’s perfecto with a slow-rolling single up the third-base line to lead off the sixth. Eflin carried his shutout into the seventh before three straight two-out singles by Brenton Doyle, Michael Toglia and Nolan Jones got Colorado on the scoreboard.
Rockies left-hander Ty Blach’s performance was a stark contrast to Eflin’s.
Blach, called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace right-hander Cal Quantrill who landed on the injured list with triceps inflammation, allowed the leadoff hitter to reach in three of his four innings.
Austin Slater drew a walk to open the game and scored on Gunnar Henderson’s single. Blach plunked Coby Mayo to open the second but escaped without damage.
Blach pitched a one-two-three third, but the fourth inning was an absolute mess. Blach walked Eloy Jimenz to open the frame before Mayo singled to Cave, who let the ball go under his glove to the right-field wall for a two-base error, allowing the slow-footed Jimenz to score and Mayo to advance to third.
The fiasco continued when Cedric Mullins hit a routine popup to second baseman Brendan Rodgers, but Rodgers lost the ball in the sun, allowing Mayo to score. James McCann topped off the inning with a two-run homer to left to give the O’s a 5-0 lead.
Blach, 3-7 at the big-league level this season, owns a 6.65 ERA.
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