LDN - Sports

Rays' Snell snuffs out Rockies

[July 20, 2016] DENVER -- Blake Snell dominated the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night and cruised in his Coors Field debut as if he were pitching at sea level.

The Tampa Bay rookie left-hander limited the Rockies to one hit in six scoreless innings, and the Rays waltzed to a 10-1 win.

Evan Longoria hit a mammoth two-run homer in the third-inning uprising when the Rays batted around, pounded out four extra-base hits and scored five runs to take a 6-0 lead.

The victory ended Tampa Bay's 11-game losing streak on the road, the third longest in franchise history. The win was just the fifth in the past 30 games for the Rays, who will try to capture consecutive games for the first time since June 14-15 in the rubber game of the series Wednesday.

Making his seventh career start, Snell issued three walks and had a career-high nine strikeouts. Eight were swinging, an indication the Rockies were overmatched by the 23-year-old, who lowered his ERA to 3.11.

Snell is the first rookie to record a scoreless start with nine strikeouts at Coors Field since the San Diego Padres' Oliver Perez did so on July 7, 2002. He joined Perez as the second visiting rookie pitcher to work six innings at Coors Field and allow one or fewer hits.

"I thought the slider was the best we've seen since he's been up here," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Before he got called up, we heard quite a bit about that pitch and how he got a feel for it. I don't know if he lost a feel for it, but today it was really good, really sharp."

Snell held the Rockies hitless until Charlie Blackmon led off the fourth with a single up the middle that extended his hitting streak to a season-high-tying 11 games. Blackmon took second on a wild pitch and continued to third on catcher Luke Maile's throwing error while Snell was in the process of striking out Nolan Arenado.

Snell (2-4) then walked Trevor Story but got Ryan Raburn to fly out and end the inning. That was the only time the Rockies got a runner past second base against Snell, who faced just three batters, all in the fourth, with a runner in scoring position.

"My key was more of the slider," Snell said. "Low in the zone, that's where I wanted it. I knew I had to get the changeup down. Fastball command was still a little shaky, but it was good enough early in the count (that) it was allowing my off-speed (pitches) to be effective."

Rays reliever Matt Andriese worked the final three innings to earn his third career save and first this season. He gave up three of the Rockies' four hits, including Story's 23rd homer of the season with one out in the ninth.

Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood (8-6) made his third start since returning from a mid-back strain he sustained in a June 18 start that put him on the disabled list. In those three starts, Chatwood is 0-2 with a 8.31 ERA. On Tuesday, he yielded a season-high seven runs and eight hits in three-plus innings.

Chatwood gave up a run in the first when Logan Forsythe led off with a double and scored when Longoria beat the Rockies' shift and grounded a single through the vacated area at second base.

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A general view of Coors Field prior to the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

In the third, the Rays roughed up Chatwood with three doubles and Longoria's two-run homer, a 461-foot shot that landed on the left field concourse.

"I left a pitch right down the middle to probably the hottest hitter in that lineup right now," Chatwood said. "It just wasn't a good pitch."

Forsythe doubled home the first run in the third. Brad Miller followed with a double, and after Longoria homered, Dickerson singled and scored on Kevin Kiermaier's double.

"I didn't throw any curveballs tonight, and it's always been my best pitch," Chatwood said. "I just threw a lot of fastballs. I didn't miss barrels and kind of put us in a hole and lost the game for us. At some point, you got to make an adjustment, and I didn't make that adjustment tonight."

The Rays tacked on three runs in the ninth against Gonzalez Germen. Dickerson, who had three hits, doubled home a run, and Steve Pearce, who was reinstated from the disabled list before the game, hit a two-run homer.

"He barreled up a couple of balls, and then he smoked a ball in the ninth," Cash said of Pearce. "It's good to have his bat back in the lineup."

NOTES: The start of the game was delayed two hours and one minute by rain. Monday's game also began 32 minutes late because of rain. ... Rays RHP Alex Cobb (Tommy John surgery in May 2015) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday at Tropicana Field. He will halt his rehab assignment that began July 6 for at least seven days. ... Rays RHP Brad Boxberger (left oblique) is scheduled to pitch one inning in his second rehab appearance Thursday for Class A Charlotte. ... Rockies LF Gerardo Parra (high left ankle sprain) received a cortisone shot to help relieve stiffness. ... Rays INF Steve Pearce (right hamstring) was reinstated from the disabled list and started at first base. INF/OF Nick Franklin was optioned to Triple-A Durham. ... Rockies LHP Chris Rusin (left shoulder strain) pitched four innings of one-run ball Tuesday in a rehab start for Triple-A Albuquerque.

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