Jose Reyes was 1-for-3 with a single and a walk to start his Colorado Rockies career in a game that saw the Rockies strike out 16 times against Jon Lester and Hector Rondon. Eddie Butler took the loss for the Rockies; his record is now 3-7 following the 3-2 decision.
Reyes made his first start in a Rockies uniform after being traded late Monday night from Toronto as part of a deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays, along with LaTroy Hawkins. Colorado received three pitchers in addition to Reyes.
Batting in the two-spot, the newest Rockie singled in his first at-bat but was thrown out trying to steal second with one out in the first inning. He walked in his second plate appearance and took second base on a double steal with Charlie Blackmon, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Nolan Arenado. Reyes was stranded at third by back-to-back strikeouts by Carlos Gonzalez and D.J. LeMahieu.
Strikeouts were the story of the day for Colorado, who fell just one short of their club record of 17. Reyes was one of the final strikeout victims of the day; he was caught looking to lead off the ninth inning against Rondon. Lester notched 14 of the Cubs’ 16 punchouts.
Butler was strong for the Rockies, but the offense failed to deliver. Lester was impressive, going eight innings and allowing just two runs on five hits.
With the loss, Colorado fell to 43-55 on the year. Colorado heads to St. Louis for a four-game series against the best team in baseball starting Thursday. The Cardinals (64-36) host Cincinnati Wednesday night.
