Nunez passed ball, Sheffield wild pitch gift Reds 7-6 win

<p>DENVER &mdash; Dom Nunez’s passed ball allowed home the tying run in the ninth inning and Jordan Sheffield’s wild pitch scored the go-ahead run, gifting the Cincinnati Reds a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.</p>
<p>Colorado hit a batter in the ninth and botched a double play. Then the Rockies wasted a chance to retie the game by committing a baserunning blunder in the bottom half.</p>
<p>Cincinnati trailed 6-1 after seven innings but closed with a four-run eighth after loading the bases against Yency Almonte. Tyler Naquin had a two-run single off Justin Lawrence, Eugenio Suárez hit a sacrifice fly and Shogo Akiyama singled in a run with his third hit.</p>
<p>Mychal Givens (1-2) nicked Jonathan India on the left elbow pad with an 83 mph changeup leading off the ninth, and Tucker Barnhart grounded into a forceout as shortstop Trevor Story bounced his throw to the pitcher covering first, wasting a chance for a double play.</p>
<p>Nick Senzel singled, Nick Castellanos fouled out and Naquin walked, loading the bases.</p>
<p>With Suárez at the plate, Givens threw a high fastball with an 0-1 count that tailed in and bounced off Nunez’s glove to the backstop as Barnhart scored.</p>
<p>Suárez walked, Sheffield relieved and threw a 2-2 slider to Tyler Stephenson that bounced under Nunez’s glove, went to the backstop and bounced up the third-base line as Senzel scored on Colorado’s second wild pitch of the game.</p>
<p>Conor Joe led off the ninth against Tejay Antone with his second double of the game, and Story popped out on an 0-for-5 afternoon that included four strikeouts.</p>
<p>Joe held up initially and made it only to third on Ryan McMahon’s one-out single to center. Garrett Hampson then grounded to India at second, who started a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to give Antone his second save.</p>
<p>Sean Doolittle (3-0) struck out two in a one-hit eighth.</p>
<p>Reds starter Jeff Hoffman gave up five runs — two earned — five hits and three walks in four innings.</p>
<p>Colorado’s Antonio Senzatela allowed one run and four hits in seven innings with a walk and a wild pitch.</p>
<p>Akiyama had an RBI single in the second, but the Rockies built a 5-1 lead in the fourth on Josh Fuentes’ two-run double, Hoffman’s run-scoring throwing error on a bunt, Raimel Tapira’s sacrifice fly and Joe’s RBI double.</p>
<p>Yonathan Daza had an RBI single in the fifth, helped by Akiyama’s throwing error in left.</p>
<p>POLE POSITION</p>
<p>Nunez thought he had had a two-run homer when his shot down the line in right hugged the foul pole. It was ruled a homer but after a review it was called foul.</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Reds: 1B Mike Moustakas (bruised heel) missed his second straight game but is improving, manager David Bell said. </p>
<p>Rockies: Placed LHP Ben Bowden on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain and recalled LHP Lucas Gilbreath from Triple-A Albuquerque. … OF Charlie Blackmon (right groin strain) was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game. He pinch hit in the eighth and struck out.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Reds: RHP Sonny Gray (0-2, 3.55) will open a three-game series against San Francisco on Monday night. </p>
<p>Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (4-3, 2.93) takes the mound Monday night in the first of three games at San Diego.</p>
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<p>AP MLB: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">https://apnews.com/hub/MLB</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>