DENVER – The magic of Rockies rookie Cole Carrigg is that he wants the game to depend on him.
Carrigg’s bases-loaded, two-run single with two outs in the seventh gave the Rockies a 5-3 victory over the Mariners on Saturday night at Coors Field.
The winning swing, off Mariners reliever Cooper Criswell, came a day after Carrigg represented the possible tying run. He stole second with one out in the ninth inning, but he took off for third too early and was thrown out by Mariners reliever Andrés Muñoz. Mickey Moniak struck out to end the Rockies’ 98th loss of the season.
On a day that saw the Rockies honor Hall of Famer Todd Helton with a ceremony to celebrate a statue outside the park’s front entrance, Carrigg didn’t let that loss total reach 99.
The Rockies won for just the eighth time in the past 31 games, but lately Carrigg has been in the middle of things when Colorado has either won or been in the habitual close defeats. During the current homestand, on which the Rockies are 2-4, Carrigg is 11-for-27 (.407) with three home runs and nine RBIs.