Sam Hilliard belted two homers and drove in three while Kyle Freeland allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings as the visiting Colorado Rockies held on to edge the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 on Wednesday.
Freeland (1-3) won for the first time in eight starts, limiting the Reds to two runs on eight hits, striking out a season-high nine and walking one.
After Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson homered to open the ninth against Victor Vodnik, Rockies closer Jalen Beeks then surrendered singles to pinch hitter Austin Wynns and Noelvi Marte before Santiago Espinal singled home a run with one out. The hit cut the deficit to 6-4 and put the potential tying run in scoring position.
Jonathan India, who homered earlier, drove a sacrifice fly to slice the lead to one. Beeks then retired Elly De La Cruz on a grounder to short to register his ninth save in 15 chances.
India hit a solo homer in the third for the Reds, who lost to the Rockies for the first time in six meetings this year. The four-game series wraps on Thursday.
Colorado won for just the 13th time in 46 road games this season.
Cincinnati starter Frankie Montas (4-7) was charged with five runs on eight hits over seven innings, striking out seven and walking two. Montas ran into trouble with the bottom of the Colorado order in the third.
Hilliard, batting ninth, belted his first homer of the night and of the season after Montas walked Nolan Jones to open the inning, making it 2-0. Elias Diaz hit an RBI single later in the inning.
Hilliard added his second homer of the night against Montas in the fifth when he drove a slider the opposite way to left for a 4-1 Colorado lead. It was Hillard’s third career two-homer game.
Ezequiel Tovar, Diaz, Jake Cave, Jones and Hilliard all finished with two hits for Colorado. Marte had three hits and Stephenson contributed two for Cincinnati.
–Field Level Media
