Mets Shut Out Rockies in Pitchers Duel

The New York Mets opened their three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies with a 1—0 shut out.
Mets Shut Out Rockies in Pitchers Duel
MIKE PELFREY: Went 7.2 innings for the win. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
8/10/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/PELFREY.jpg" alt="Mike Pelfrey broke out of his pitching slump on Tuesday with a four-hit shut out against the Colorado Rockies. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)" title="Mike Pelfrey broke out of his pitching slump on Tuesday with a four-hit shut out against the Colorado Rockies. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1816273"/></a>
Mike Pelfrey broke out of his pitching slump on Tuesday with a four-hit shut out against the Colorado Rockies. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The New York Mets (56–56) opened their three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies (58–54) with a 1–0 shut out on Tuesday in what was an all-out pitcher’s duel.

Mike Pelfrey (11–6)—who hasn’t won a game since June 25—came back in a big way for the Mets, giving up only four hits and one walk in seven innings. He threw 122 pitches.

Likewise, Rockies workhorse Ubaldo Jimenez (17–3) gave up just four hits, but walked four and had the game’s only earned run against him in the seventh inning after 122 pitches.

In an interesting aside, on April 17, Jimenez delivered the Rockies their first ever no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves.

The Mets on the other hand join the San Diego Padres as the only teams in the MLB yet to have no-hitters; a hard to believe fact given the Mets’ storied pitching history.

Defense reigned supreme for both teams on Tuesday until the Mets broke the ice in the sixth inning by loading the bases with two outs.

Oddly enough, it was Pelfrey who got the hitting going in the sixth, singling on a ground ball in first at bat.

Jimenez then hit Fernando Martinez and intentionally walked David Wright to load the bases.

It was a risky decision, but it paid off. Jimenez struck out first baseman Ike Davis to end the scoring threat.

But Jimenez ran into trouble again in the seventh inning after a leadoff walk against Chris Carter, followed by a fly ball double by Josh Thole with no outs.

Jimenez recovered by striking out Ruben Tejada with a high fastball on a full count for the first out. But then he loaded the bases again by intentionally walking Carlos Beltran.

This time the walk didn’t pay off. Next up was Jose Reyes, who has been hitting well as of late.

Reyes delivered for the Mets with a sacrifice fly to right field to send Carter in for the game’s only run and put runners on first and third with two outs.

Jimenez kept his cool and struck out Martinez to end the inning, but Reyes’s sacrifice fly was the decider.

Hisanori Takahashi and Francisco Rodriguez finished up the pitching for the Mets. Rodriguez ended the game on a high note getting the final three outs for his 25th save.