Michael Cuddyer Extends Hit Streak to 26 Games in Rockies’ 2-1 Win
Although the Colorado Rockies have been inconsistent at the plate over the last couple of weeks, they’ve consistently counted on one player to pick them up when runs have been hard to come by.
Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer entered Saturday’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a 25-game hit steak, a streak which he quickly extended to 26 after hitting an RBI single to put his team ahead 1-0 in the first inning. Cuddyer has also reached base safely in 45 consecutive games.
Giants starter Matt Cain was obviously aware of the threat Cuddyer posed, but failed to execute his pitches against Cuddyer in his first at-bat.
“I had a chance to get out of that in the first inning and didn’t make a good pitch to Cuddyer,” starter Matt Cain said, according to ESPN.com. “Being as hot as he is, you make a mistake to him, he’s going to get a hit. I could kick myself for that (0-2 curveball).”
However, Cain settled down after the first and shut the Rockies offense down for the next seven innings, leaving the game after the eighth with the score tied at 1-1. Then came the biggest hit of the game, and surprisingly enough, it didn’t come off the sizzling bat of Cuddyer.
Rockies rookie third-baseman Nolan Arenado – who may have been the most unlikely of heroes for Colorado, especially at the plate – came through when it matter most, delivering a clutch two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored pinch runner Josh Rutledge for the 2-1 win.
“That was big on Rut, he basically won the game. If it weren’t for that it was just runners on first and second,” Arenado said. “(Jeremy Affeldt) hung a splitty and I was fortunate I put a good swing on it.”
Though Arenado’s big moment is still a microcosmic one as far as the team’s season is concerned, it did help propel the Rockies to within two games of the sputtering Arizona Diamondbacks, who dropped a second straight game to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
With 80 games remaining in the regular season, the Rockies stand at 41-41 in the wild, wide-open NL West. They certainly have as good of a chance to win the division, but with each of the five teams separated by just five games now, it truly is anybody’s ballgame.
Although the Giants are struggling at the moment – as losers of their last six games – I wouldn’t count out the defending World Series champions, who turned it on during last year’s second half.
Another team to look out for in the division is the suddenly surging Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won seven of their last 10 games and are within striking distance of first place for the first time in a long time. With their talented arms and bats finally seeming to wake up, it could spell trouble for the rest of the NL West.
Of course, a lot can happen over the course of a few months, so we’ll have to wait and see how things play out and if Cuddyer can keep this incredible streak going.
