Daily News 19

Tag: Coors Field

  • Colton Cowser’s Walk-Off Home Run Robbery Stuns Rockies as Orioles Stay in AL Wild-Card Race

    Colton Cowser’s Walk-Off Home Run Robbery Stuns Rockies as Orioles Stay in AL Wild-Card Race

    Jake McCarthy appeared poised to deliver a walk-off home run for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday night. Instead, Baltimore Orioles center fielder Colton Cowser produced a remarkable ninth-inning home run robbery to preserve a 2-1 victory.

    With a runner on second base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, McCarthy needed a base hit to tie the game and force extra innings. He squared up an Andrew Kittredge pitch and sent it toward the deepest part of center field, approximately 415 feet from home plate.

    Cowser tracked the ball throughout its flight, moving toward the wall and timing his leap as it continued to carry toward the fence. McCarthy had already begun rounding the bases, hoping the ball would clear the wall, but Cowser reached over the fence and made the catch to end the game.

    Cowser landed on the warning track and immediately celebrated, shouting after making a spectacular catch to deny the Rockies. McCarthy could only smirk as he returned to the dugout, while Colorado was left stunned by the highlight-reel defensive play.

    The catch quickly went viral on social media, with baseball fans expressing disbelief at what they had witnessed. Orioles great Adam Jones also praised Cowser’s effort.

    “Wow what an amazing catch by Cowser to end the game. One of the best catches I’ve ever seen,” Jones wrote on X. “Defense and speed are things that can’t slump! Helluva athlete.”

    The play was significant not only because it ended the game but also because of its potential impact on Baltimore’s playoff hopes. The Orioles improved to 69-69 after Cowser’s heroics.

    Baltimore is just half a game behind the Cleveland Guardians, who entered the day 69-68 and held the American League’s third Wild Card spot. The Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays were each 1.5 games back, while the Minnesota Twins were 3.5 games out as the final month of the regular season began Tuesday.

    Cowser’s catch could prove especially valuable if the Orioles remain in contention for a postseason berth and continue chasing a chance to reach the World Series in October.

    Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

    Source: www.foxnews.com

  • Padres Outlast Rockies to Win 8th Straight Game

    Padres Outlast Rockies to Win 8th Straight Game

    The San Diego Padres extended their winning streak to a season-high eight games with an 8-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday night. The win maintains San Diego’s 2½-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s final Wild Card spot, a cushion that now stands at three games in the loss column.

    Padres survive late rally in familiar fashion

    The contest followed a pattern established during the team’s weekend sweep in San Francisco: a commanding early lead followed by a tense finish. San Diego jumped ahead 6-1 after three innings, powered by home runs from Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. The Rockies, however, chipped away steadily, twice pulling within a single run in the later innings.

    “It’s just the time of year where you’ve got to win,” said Ty France, who went 3-for-5 with a crucial two-out RBI single in the seventh. “Especially with the position that we’re in, being in this tight of a race — wins are all that’s important. And it doesn’t matter how you do it. You’ve just got to win.”

    France, activated from the paternity list earlier in the day, delivered the go-ahead hit after Colorado had cut the deficit to 6-5. His two-out single scored Luis Arraez and provided a critical insurance run. The Padres added another in the eighth on a two-out double by Dustin Harris, but the Rockies answered again in the bottom of the frame to make it 8-7.

    France emerging as one of baseball’s top hitters

    The veteran first baseman continues to author one of the most remarkable contract-year stories in recent memory. Signed to a minor league deal, France entered Monday ranked 11th among qualified hitters with a 142 wRC+, just ahead of Shohei Ohtani, and 12th in OPS, ahead of Elly De La Cruz and Kyle Schwarber. Because he began the season in a platoon role, he does not yet qualify for the official leaderboards, but he is on pace to reach the threshold before the regular season concludes.

    “No other way to put it: France is one of the signings of the season,” the broadcast noted. He has also provided Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base, adding further value to a clubhouse that has embraced him.

    Miller survives comebacker, Machado ends it

    Closer Mason Miller took the mound for the ninth inning with a one-run lead. The first batter, Kyle Karros, hit a sharp comebacker off Miller’s calf. The right-hander stayed in the game and later reported he felt fine, but the infield single brought the tying run to the plate with one out.

    With two outs, Adael Amador hit a high chopper toward third base. Machado charged, fielded the ball cleanly, transferred quickly, and fired a strike across the diamond for the final out.

    “That was a sick play,” Miller said. “I thought there was no chance. But when you’ve got an arm like his, always possible.”

    “Coors Field special right there,” said manager Craig Stammen.

    Five straight winning seasons, chasing a third straight playoff berth

    The victory secured the franchise’s 82nd win, guaranteeing a fifth consecutive winning season — a first in Padres history. While the organization has larger ambitions, the milestone reflects a cultural shift.

    “We’re proud to be a part of something like that, where the expectation is to play playoff baseball,” Stammen said. “Part of that is playing over .500 every year.”

    San Diego now sits one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies and 1½ games behind the Chicago Cubs for the top two Wild Card seeds, though both clubs hold season-series tiebreakers over the Padres. With ten games remaining, San Diego controls its path: gaining one more game on Arizona in the loss column would clinch a postseason berth before the season-ending series at Petco Park.

    For now, the Padres will take the wins however they come.

  • Padres’ Winning Streak Ends in Loss to Rockies

    Padres’ Winning Streak Ends in Loss to Rockies

    The San Diego Padres saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday night with a 9-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The defeat carries significant weight in a tight National League Wild Card race and exposed the cumulative cost of recent bullpen management.

    Winning Streak Snapped at Season-High Mark

    The eight-game streak matched the season high the Padres previously set in April. It marks the first time in franchise history that San Diego has produced multiple winning streaks of at least eight games in a single season. However, for the second time this year, the team failed to extend a streak to nine games.

    Wild Card Lead Shrinks Amid Missed Opportunities

    The loss dramatically altered the playoff picture in a matter of hours. Late Monday night, the Padres were on the verge of expanding their lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final NL Wild Card spot to 3½ games. Instead, a walk-off home run by Corbin Carroll lifted Arizona over Miami, and San Diego’s own defeat Tuesday trimmed the advantage to just two games, pending the result of Arizona’s late contest.

    Compounding the damage, both the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies lost on Tuesday, presenting a prime opportunity for the Padres to pull even in the loss column for coveted home-field advantage in the Wild Card round. Instead, San Diego trails the Cubs by 1½ games and the Phillies by one game—without the tiebreaker over either club.

    High-Leverage Bullpen Usage Extracts a Price

    The Padres have relied heavily on their high-leverage relievers during the winning streak, a strategy that earned eight consecutive victories but carried an inevitable cost. Over the previous four games, San Diego grabbed early leads only to endure stressful late innings each night. The bill came due against Colorado.

    Starter Walker Buehler required 92 pitches to navigate just 4⅔ innings, forcing the Padres to turn to lower-leverage options for the middle frames. Wandy Peralta escaped a jam in the fifth but unraveled in the sixth, allowing four of the first five batters to reach base as the Rockies seized the lead. Randy Vásquez then engaged Cole Carrigg in a 13-pitch duel with two outs; Carrigg fouled off 10 pitches before launching a belt-high fastball into the right-field seats for his second home run of the night, pushing Colorado’s advantage to four runs.

    The lone silver lining: the decisive deficit allowed the overworked high-leverage arms a much-needed night off.

    Platoon Strategy at No. 2 Shows Early Promise

    Manager Craig Stammen deployed Austin Hays in the No. 2 spot against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, a matchup Hays has historically dominated. The move paid immediate dividends when Hays led off the fifth inning with a solo home run off Freeland, giving San Diego a 3-2 lead and chasing the starter from the game.

    The decision highlighted the roster’s platoon flexibility. Had Colorado countered with right-hander Ryan Feltner, Stammen was prepared to counter with Dustin Harris, who has excelled against right-handed pitching. This approach ensures a favorable matchup whether facing the starter multiple times or attacking the opposing bullpen early—a “win-win” dynamic.

    Critics argue the optimal strategy is simply slotting the four best hitters—Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Ty France, and Jackson Merrill—in the top four spots to maximize their at-bats. Yet the Padres have thrived with the current configuration: Tatis leading off, a versatile No. 2 hitter separating him from the three middle-order mashers. Without a permanent solution at No. 2, playing for daily matchup advantages remains a sound tactical choice, one that could gain further traction if Miguel Andújar and Gavin Sheets return from the injured list in the coming weeks.