The Colorado Rockies’ chance to sweep the Boston Red Sox fell apart instantly on Wednesday night.
The Rockies held a slim 2-1 lead when the Red Sox scored five runs in the seventh inning of a 6-3 loss after a two-hour rain delay at Fenway Park.
The fireworks began when Rockies starter Austin Gomber allowed back-to-back singles, leading to a pitching change. With reliever Brent Suter on the mound, Boston tallied three runs off shortstop Pablo Reyes’ sacrifice fly and left fielder Rob Refsnyder’s two-run triple.
Suter was out, and Peter Lambert was in, but Boston’s scoring surge continued. Red Sox third baseman Justin Turner singled in a run before right fielder Alex Verdugo’s RBI double gave Boston a four-run lead.
For the most part, the Rockies’ third game of the series was a pitching duel. Boston starter Garrett Whitlock shut down Colorado for five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and seven strikeouts. Whitlock kept the Rockies hitless for three straight innings after giving up a pair of hits in the opening frame.
The Rockies cracked the code in the sixth. Center fielder Brenton Doyle hit a leadoff single before stealing second base. After a single from right fielder Nolan Jones and a game-tying sacrifice fly from shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, third baseman Ryan McMahon hit an RBI double to take a one-run advantage.
Gomber was solid, allowing three runs on six hits and five strikeouts in six innings.
At one point, Doyle’s diving catch in the third was the only highlight of the evening. As Reyes belted a fly ball to center field in the third inning, Gomber turned around to see Doyle extend his body to make an incredible grab, causing the left-handed pitcher to put his hands over his head in disbelief.
The Rockies were aggressive in the first. Tovar doubled to center before third baseman Ryan McMahon knocked a base hit to right field. Tovar, however, was thrown out trying to go home. With McMahon at second, catcher Elias Diaz struck out, ruining an opportunity to put a dent in the scoreboard.
Boston made the Rockies pay. Verdugo hit an RBI single up the middle, driving home Refsnyder to take a 1-0 advantage in the bottom half of the first.
Gomber didn’t face any more trouble until the fourth inning when Verdugo hit a leadoff double. He kept Verdugo at second, forcing a pair of flyouts while striking out second baseman Christian Arroyo on a nasty curveball. In the fifth, Boston had runners on first and second when Gomber forced Turner to fly out.
Gomber threw five straight scoreless innings before exiting the game in the seventh.
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