Trade-deadline pickup Blalock continues impressing as Rockies blast Yankees
Aug 24, 2024, 4:46 PM | Updated: 7:09 pm
Bradley Blalock didn’t possess the kind of CV that foretold instant major-league success.
Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the trade that sent reliever Nick Mears off to a contender at the deadline, he reported to AA Hartford after the deal. In two starts for the Yard Goats, he allowed 8 earned runs over 11 2/3 innings, giving him a season-long AA ERA of 4.36.
But his WHIP was acceptable and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was on the upswing. And now in three Rockies starts, he’s gone 5 2/3 innings each time – including Saturday against the New York Yankees, when he danced around 5 hits and 4 walks to hold New York to just 2 runs before the bullpen took over.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s offense tagged Yankees right-handed Will Warren for 6 runs before chasing him after 3 innings. Nolan Jones delivered half of the damage, driving home Michael Toglia with a second-inning sacrifice fly and scoring two runs on a third-inning RBI double that pushed Colorado’s lead to 6-0 en route to a 9-2 win.
Blalock danced out of trouble throughout the day. In the first inning, he allowed Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto to reach base before settling down and retiring Aaron Judge, Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm.
In the third inning, he allowed his first run after walking two batters, setting up Chisholm for an RBI double before inducing a harmless fly ball to Brenton Doyle to squelch the threat.
An Alex Verdugo solo home run pulled New York back within 6-2 in the fourth inning, but Blalock settled down from there, with the bullpen delivering 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball to square the series.
Michael Toglia — who went 2-for-3 with a walk — and Jake Cave — who went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI — each blasted home runs in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, as the Rockies padded their lead.
Blalock checked in at No. 17 on the Brewers’ prospect list when the Rockies acquired him, according to MLB Pipeline. Through four Rockies starts, the 23-year-old right-hander posts a ERA barely over 3.00 — 3.06, to be exact. That includes a single inning pitched for the Brewers in June.
It’s early, but the Rockies might have found a solid mid-to-back-of-the-rotation option in Blalock.
