Leave it to the Rockies to ruin a couple of storybook endings.
In one of the worst meltdowns in recent memory, the Rockies blew a 5-0 lead in the ninth inning and lost 7-6 to the woeful Marlins in 10 innings Tuesday night at loanDepot park.
In losing again, the Rockies became the first team since 1900 to trail in each of its first 29 games. The Rockies lost to Houston on Sunday, joining the 1910 St. Louis Browns as the only teams to trail in each of their first 28 games.
“That was a tough one … we shot ourselves in the foot,” manager Bud Black said.
The Rockies nearly dodged ignominy. Ryan McMahon hit an RBI double to right to score Sean Bouchard to give the Rockies a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth, but the Marlins scored twice in the bottom of the frame off left-hander Jalen Beeks.
Bryan De La Cruz hit an RBI double off Beeks to score pinch runner Tim Anderson, tying the game at 6-all. Then Dane Myers punched a single to right fielder Hunter Goodman, who made a perfect throw to the plate, but catcher Elias Diaz couldn’t handle the throw, and Anderson scrambled around Diaz and tagged the plate with his hand for the winning run.
Black told reporters in Miami, ” ‘Goody’ made a good play, but ‘Ellie’ couldn’t handle it.”
All of that carnage on a night when Jordan Beck was impressive in his major league debut, Ryan Feltner nearly pitched a shutout, and Elehuris Montero blasted a rare home run on the road.
But the Rockies suffered an epic and ugly ninth-inning collapse in a game featuring the National League’s two worst teams. Colorado, swept by the Astros in Mexico City last weekend, tumbled to 7-22. The Marlins, losers of seven straight games entering Tuesday, improved to 7-24.
Feltner, who had flashed potential numerous times in his career, gave up only three harmless singles over the first eight innings. But in the ninth, Vidal Brujan led off with a single, Feltner plunked Christian Bethancourt, and Luis Arraez ripped an RBI double to right, scoring Brujan.
That was it for Feltner, who was clearly unhappy when Black lifted him from the game. In came closer Justin Lawrence, who immediately melted down.
In quick succession, Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz drew a walk, Dane Myers hit a two-run single, Josh Bell singled to load the bases, and Lawrence, lacking any semblance of command, hit Jesus Sanches to drive in another run.
The Marlins tied the game, 5-5, on Emmanuel Rivera’s sacrifice fly to right. That was it for Lawrence. Black summoned Beeks to try and stop the avalanche of trouble. He did, at least for two-thirds of an inning, striking out Nick Gordon and getting Christian Bethancourt to fly out.
Beck, the highly touted outfield prospect, made his big league debut and hit 2 for 4. Starting in left field and hitting eighth, Beck singled in the first off right-hander Sixto Sanchez and added another single in the sixth off right-hander Declan Cronin.
“Just take the moment in, take a deep breath, look around and be where my feet are,” Beck told reporters about his first day with the Rockies. “A lot of people say write it down, what it feels like, don’t forget it. There are a lot of things that you want to remember from this day and carry on into the future.”
The first pitch Beck saw in his major league career was a ball, well outside the strike zone. The second pitch was a slider over the inside of the plate, and Beck lined the ball to center field for his first hit.
The Rockies scored all but one of their runs in the first off Sanchez. Ezequiel Tovar led off with a double and advanced to third on Brenton Doyle’s sacrifice bunt. McMahon singled in Tovar and advanced to second on Diaz’s groundout.
Charlie Blackmon, who entered the game in a deep funk, slashing .119/.159/.143 over his last 12 games, drove in McMahon with a single to right. Then Brendan Rodgers singled up the middle, setting the table for Montero’s 409-foot, three-run homer.
Colorado had only three hits after the first inning, but with Feltner on the mound, it didn’t matter until the ninth and 10th innings.
Still, Feltner said he let his team down.
“It will take a while for me to think about my performance,” the right-hander told Rockies.TV. “I just think right now that I let the team down. I’ve got to finish off that ninth inning. I’ve never been in that position before, and now I’m hungry to get back there.”
Wednesday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (0-4, 6.57 ERA) at Marlins TBA
4:40 p.m. Wednesday, loanDepot park
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Hudson is still searching for his first victory in a Rockies uniform. There’s a good chance it will come on Wednesday because the right-hander has a good track record vs. Miami. In six career appearances against the Marlins (three starts), he is 2-0 with a 3.54 ERA. He’s 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in four career appearances (one start) in Miami. Hudson, however, had a rough time in his last start this season. Although the Rockies beat the Padres 10-9 at Coors Field, he allowed six runs on six hits with four walks over 3 1/3 innings. He did not factor in the decision.
Pitching probables
Thursday: Rockies RHP Peter Lambert (2-1, 4.67) at Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera (1-1, 5.28), 10:10 a.m.
Friday: Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (0-3, 5.34) at Pirates LHP Martin Perez (1-1, 2.86), 4:40 p.m.
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