A late lead slipped away, and in the end, so did the rubber game of the Colorado Rockies three-game series with the Chicago White Sox. The Rockies blew a 4-1 seventh inning advantage on their way to a 6-4 loss in 10 innings at Coors Field yesterday afternoon. The Rockies had taken the lead in the first inning thanks to Troy Tulowitzki’s three-run home run, his 15th of the season. But the White Sox scored once in the seventh and twice in the eighth to tie the score, and former Rockie Juan Pierre hit a two-run single off Clayton Mortensen in the top of the 10th to give the White Sox the eventual winning tallies. The loss puts the Rockies record at 39-42 at the official halfway point of their season. Tonight the Rockies begin a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals in Denver. ESPN Radio 1410 has game one tonight with pregame coverage at 6:30 and the first pitch at 7:10.
The Rockies have struggled to find consistent offensive and defensive production from their second basemen this season. With that in mind, the team made a trade yesterday to bring in a veteran to man the position. The Rockies acquired Mark Ellis from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league relief pitcher Bruce Billings and a player to be named later. The 34-year old Ellis has hit just .217 in 62 games with the A’s this season, but is a career .265 hitter in his nine years in the majors and has been considered one of the best defensive second basemen in the game. Ellis will join the Rockies tonight, start at second base, and bat second in the order.