Rockies looking uncommon sweep vs. fading Cubs

For a team 35 games below .500, the Colorado Rockies have shown plenty of fight as their season nears its end.

Colorado has won three straight games in its final at-bat, including the first two of its three-game series against the visiting Chicago Cubs.

After Saturday’s comeback win in extra innings, the Rockies (57-92) go for a sweep against a stumbling Chicago squad in Sunday’s finale in Denver.

“It doesn’t surprise me — just how hard we’re playing and the focus,” Colorado manager Bud Black said following the Rockies’ 6-5 win in 10 innings on Saturday.

” … I’m never taken aback by anything other than complete focus and preparation and work before the game, and then how we play. That’s what our guys do. The players amongst themselves set a standard.”

The Rockies’ run of last-at-bat victories started Thursday with a two-run ninth inning that propelled Colorado to a 4-2 road win over the Detroit Tigers.

The next night, the Rockies lost a 5-2 lead to the Cubs in the eighth inning before Hunter Goodman delivered a tiebreaking grand slam in the bottom of the frame to lift Colorado to a 9-5 victory.

Saturday’s rally was perhaps the most dramatic.

The Rockies trailed 5-3 entering the bottom of the ninth and were down to their last strike before Goodman drew a full-count walk. Sam Hilliard followed with a pinch-hit two-run homer to tie it, and Brenton Doyle won it for Colorado an inning later with a walk-off RBI single.

“These young guys are learning what it’s like to win at the big league level … and compete in high-level games, high-pressure situations,” Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland said. ” … Win, lose or draw, they’re learning, which is great.”

Cal Quantrill is scheduled to pitch Sunday as Colorado goes for just its third series sweep this season, the first two coming in back-to-back series spanning May 10-15 against the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres.

Quantrill (8-9, 4.63 ERA) has not pitched since Aug. 27 following a stint on the 15-day injured list with right triceps inflammation. The right-hander is 1-2 with an 8.38 ERA in six appearances (three starts) against Chicago over his six-year career.

The Cubs (75-73) will counter with right-hander Kyle Hendricks (3-11, 6.51) as they look to halt a three-game skid. Saturday’s loss knocked Chicago six games out of the National League’s final wild-card spot with 14 games left.

“You can’t let (Saturday’s game) define the last two weeks, and it won’t,” Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “This is a group that shows up to the park and does the same work every day, and they’re ready to go play whoever.”

Crow-Armstrong homered and added a stolen base on Saturday to continue his resurgent stretch following a rocky first few months. The 22-year-old rookie is batting .310 with six home runs and 27 RBIs since July 26.

Right fielder Cody Bellinger also went deep on Saturday and is 8-for-20 (.400) with three homers and nine RBIs through the first five games of Chicago’s six-game road trip. Third baseman Isaac Paredes is 10-for-19 (.526) during that span.

The Cubs tagged Quantrill for four runs in four innings in their 9-8 win in Chicago on April 3.

Hendricks last faced the Rockies in 2021. The 11-year veteran is 3-3 with a 4.19 ERA in 10 career starts against Colorado.

–Field Level Media