Cubs pull off 9th inning rally to take series opener against Rockies
The Cubs turned a would-be difficult loss into a feel-good win.
Leading in the 7th inning by a pair of runs, the Cubs saw their lead vanish with a 3-run inning from the Rockies. In the 9th, though, the Cubs pulled off a rally of their own.
Yan Gomes delivered a 2-run single in the final frame to give the Cubs a 5-4 win over the Rockies in the series opener at Coors Field. The win keeps the Cubs on pace with the Brewers — who also won Monday — in the NL Central.
“That’s a nice win,” a smiling David Ross said after the game.
Trailing 4-3 in the 9th, Dansby Swanson led off the rally with a line drive that looked like it might be caught. But the ball clipped the glove of left fielder Nolan Jones and dropped, giving him a leadoff double. Ian Happ followed with a walk.
Then, came a gutsy — and rewarded — call. Swanson and Happ perfectly executed a double steal, moving the go-ahead run into scoring position. That set the stage for Gomes, who delivered the go-ahead knock to center field.
In the bottom of the 9th, Drew Smyly picked up the first out and Ross turned to Michael Fulmer — freshly activated off the IL — for the save. There was some drama, he allowed a walk and a hit by pitch to put the winning run on base, but he struck out the last two batters to preserve the win.
Rookie Jordan Wicks turned in another stellar start. The lefty allowed just 1 run on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts in 6 innings of work.
“I thought Wicks threw a phenomenal game,” Ross said. “I thought him and Yan were on a really good rhythm.”
The first Cubs rookie with a quality start at Coors since Kyle Hendricks! pic.twitter.com/7hFYgAM9O0
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 12, 2023
Gomes was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in the win. His first RBI came in the 6th inning on a single that drove in Cody Bellinger. Seiya Suzuki was thrown out at home to end the inning.
The Cubs catcher scored the first run of the game, scoring on a Nick Madrigal RBI-single to tie the game at 1 in the 3rd inning. The Cubs took the lead in the 5th on Christopher Morel’s 466-foot home run to left center field.
Cubs’ top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was called up before the game, debuted, pinch-running for Mike Tauchman in the 7th inning. He advanced to second on a hit-and-run play with Madrigal and was nabbed at third trying to steal the base.
In the 9th inning, after Gomes’ big hit, Crow-Armstrong laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance pinch runner Miles Mastrobuoni.