SAN FRANCISCO — Slow starters all season, the Rockies got out of the gate fast on Saturday afternoon at sun-splashed Oracle Park.
First inning: bang, solo home run by catcher Hunter Goodman, his 31st of the season. Second inning: bang, leadoff homer by Brenton Doyle, his 15th. The Rockies led 2-0 against Giants right-hander Justin Verlander.
But, as usual, the Rockies found a way to lose, or couldn’t figure out how to win. Take your pick.
The Giants had only four hits, but it was enough to win, 4-3, and send the Rockies to their 118th loss of the season.
The Rockies, per usual, rallied late. Jordan Beck led off the ninth with a home run off reliever Ryan Walker, cutting the lead to 4-3. Doyle followed with a double and Kyle Karros drew a walk. Warming Bernable struck out for the second out of the inning, but right-handed reliever Spencer Bivens plunked Ryan Ritter, loading the bases.
In the penultimate game of their painful season, the Rockies were on the cusp of one of their most satisfying wins of the season. But Ezequiel Tovar’s foul ball down the third baseline was caught against the netting by Matt Chapman.
It was a bitter end to a well-played game.
Kyle Freeland’s final start of the season for Colorado was solid. Toss out the second inning, and the Rockies’ veteran left-hander was exceptional.
Freeland issued a leadoff walk to Chapman, which is always an ill-advised way to start an inning. When Wilmer Flores sliced a single to right field, Freeland was asking for trouble. He got it when Casey Schmitt mashed a 1-0 fastball over the center-field wall for a three-run homer and a 3-2 lead.
Over six innings, Freeland allowed three runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He finished his season with a 5-16 record and a 4.98 ERA.
An RBI double by Rafael Devers off Rockies closer Victor Vodnik in the eighth inning turned out to be the game-winner. Doyle dove for the ball in center field but came up empty.
The Rockies have 10 more chances to clear themselves of infamy by association.
Colorado dropped its fourth straight game on Wednesday at Coors Field, an 8-4 defeat to the Marlins to clinch the club’s 41st series defeat this season. The loss sank Colorado to 41-111 as the Rockies still need one more win to ensure they don’t tie the 2024 White Sox for the worst record in baseball’s modern era.
The defeat made Colorado the first National League team to lose 111 games in 21 years, since the Diamondbacks did so in 2004. Those D-backs and this season’s Rockies are now tied for the most losses by an NL team during the Divisional Era (since 1969).
The Rockies continue to fade hard down the stretch with a 2-13 record in September. Wednesday was an erratic night for the Colorado pitching staff, which finished with eight walks and a hit batter.
“We walked way too many guys tonight,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “You can’t be giving that many free passes away at Coors Field and expect to win.”
The Rockies scored first by manufacturing a couple runs in the second inning off southpaw Ryan Weathers. After Ezequiel Tovar reached on an infield single and then Blaine Crim walked, Kyle Farmer singled Tovar home and Braxton Fulford’s sacrifice fly scored Crim to make it 2-0.
Miami nicked Brown for an RBI single in the third, then took the lead off the rookie with a pair of runs in the fourth. A two-out walk in that inning eventually opened the door for Javier Sanoja’s RBI double and then Jakob Marsee’s RBI infield single to give the visitors a 3-2 advantage.
Meanwhile, the rookie Brown finished with three runs allowed on four hits and four walks over four innings.
“I was trying to be on the edges a little too much,” Brown saidd. “I’ve got to be competitive (with more strikes). I think my stuff plays and I’ve got to be able to throw it in the zone.”
The Rockies struck back in the bottom of the fourth inning off Weathers, using Hunter Goodman’s double and then an RBI single by Jordan Beck to tie it, 3-3.
After Ryan Rolison pitched a scoreless fifth for Colorado, Jaden Hill got into trouble in the sixth and surrendered the lead back to Miami. A walk, single and hit batter loaded the bases and led to Agustín Ramírez’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-3. Miami then tacked on another run via a sac fly by Heriberto Hernandez off Juan Mejia in the seventh, pushing the score to 5-3.
Miami added insurance in the eighth via Ramírez’s two-run, 422-foot blast to left-center off Roansy Contreras that made it 7-3. Joey Wiemer’s RBI single off Angel Chivilli in the ninth further padded the score.
“Today we had the early lead, which was good — we had a good plan against Weathers,” Schaeffer said. “In the middle innings, there were some good (at-bats), but not enough, that’s for sure.”
Mickey Moniak hit a no-doubt, 429 foot blast off a hanging changeup to lead off the bottom of the ninth to give the smattering of Rockies fans still in attendance something to cheer about. It was the red-hot Moniak’s 23rd dinger of the season, and the first time in his career with a homer in three straight games.
“The personal accolades, and to be able to reflect and look back for me on my season, comes Sept. 29,” Moniak said. “It will be a short reflection. I’ll take about two weeks, then get back into the cage and the weight room. For me, up until this point it’s been a great year for me personally, but the ultimate goal is to win. We haven’t been able to do that.”
Colorado concludes the series against Miami in a Thursday matinee, looking to avoid its 19th sweep of the season, and plays its final home games with a three-game series against the Angels this weekend. Colorado then finishes the year on the road with a trip to Seattle and San Francisco, both of whom are in the hunt for a wild card berth.
Thursday’s pitching matchup
Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (9-12, 5.53 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (6-6, 6.14)
1:10 p.m. Thursday, Coors Field
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
Trending: In addition to a franchise-record 13 debuts this season, Colorado’s also had 30 players make at least one plate appearance, tying the 2011 club record for the most hitters used in a single season in franchise history (excluding pitchers).
Kyle Freeland wasn’t perfect, but he pitched a masterpiece on Friday night in the Rockies’ 3-0 victory over the Padres in front of 30,073 at Coors Field.
Just days removed from throwing only eight pitches in his last outing, the Rockies’ veteran left-hander threw eight shutout innings, allowed just two hits, and tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Freeland did not walk a batter.
He threw just 88 pitches, but the decision not to let him chase a complete game was likely because of his abbreviated start on Tuesday night against the Giants — one that saw him ejected without recording an out.
Of course, nothing comes easy for the 101-loss Rockies. Closer Victor Vodnik gave up a walk and a single in the ninth before getting a flyout and a double-play grounder to third to notch his seventh save.
The Rockies entered the night having lost 11 of their last 13 games, but led by Freeland and catcher Hunter Goodman, they put a crimp in the Padres’ playoff path. San Diego, in a race with the Dodgers for the National League West division title, lost its fifth game in a row.
Freeland has never pitched a complete game. The closest he came was on July 9, 2017, when he pitched 8 1/3 no-hit innings against the White Sox, the longest no-hit bid for a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field in franchise history.
Friday night, Freeland pitched a perfect game until Ramon Laureano ripped a one-out double to left in the fifth inning. No worries, he got Jackson Merrill to fly out to left and struck out Jose Iglesias with a wicked knuckle curve to end the inning.
San Diego’s only other hit off Freeland was a two-out single by Jose Iglesias in the eighth.
Freeland was coming off the most bizarre game of his career. On Tuesday, he faced just two batters, threw eight pitches, surrendered two runs, recorded zero outs, and was ejected for confronting Giants slugger Rafael Devers during Devers’ showy home-run trot.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the third on Goodman’s two-out home run off San Diego right-hander Nick Pivetta. It was Goodman’s team-high 28th homer, tying Wilin Rosario for the most homers by a primary catcher in franchise history. Rosario set the mark in 2012.
Goodman continued his torrid streak at the plate. He contributed to Colorado’s run in the second when Mickey Moniak, Goodman and Jordan Beck hit successive singles off Pivetta to put the Rockies ahead, 2-0. Goodman’s bloop double to right scored Moniak, pushing the Rockies’ lead to 3-0.
Over his last three games, Goodman has gone 9 for 12 with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs.
Spoiler alert: Should the Diamondbacks fall out of the wild-card playoff race, they might point to this September series with the Rockies.
Last year’s surprise National League pennant winner has owned the Rockies for the last two seasons. But these September Rockies aren’t those Rockies.
They proved it again Tuesday night with an 8-2 romp over the D-backs at Coors Field. Colorado won Game 1 of the series, 3-2, on Monday night. The Rockies might still be roadkill away from LoDo, but they’re tough to beat at Coors, where they have a 19-12 record since July 4.
The victory was the 535th for manager Bud Black, who bypassed Clint Hurdle for the most in Rockies history.
“I’ve been a part of (milestones) before … it’s great,” Black said after veteran players Charlie Blackmon, Kyle Freeland, and German Marquez doused him with a celebratory beer-and-shaving-cream shower. “It’s great. It’s part of what makes us love the game. And when it’s over for all of us, it’s moments like this that you remember.”
Colorado’s formula Tuesday night included an excellent start from right-hander Ryan Feltner, home runs from Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman, and timely hitting up and down the order. Colorado hit 5 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Arizona entered the night 8-3 in its last 11 games vs. the Rockies, and 18-6 in its last 24 dating back to the start of the 2023 season. But after losing two straight at Coors, they are now tied with the Mets for the NL’s final wild-card playoff spot.
Feltner, his fastball humming, pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up just one run on five hits. He struck out only two but got a lot of weak contact, and Colorado’s defense backed him up with stellar play.
“I was on the same page with ‘Stahls’ all night, and we had great defense all night,” said Feltner, referring to veteran catch Jacob Stallings. “Just being able to trust Stahlings back there, and trusting the defense, it just frees me up. All of my pitches were working tonight and I just kept trying to pound the zone.”
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers fed Tovar at short to turn a sweet double play to end the sixth, and center fielder Brenton Doyle, in the hunt for his second straight Gold Glove, made a running catch in center field to rob Eugenio Suarez of extra bases in the seventh.
“It’s incredible,” Feltner said. “He floated like 20 feet in the air, it looked like from the pitcher’s mound.”
Feltner is turning the corner. Since July 2, he’s posted a 3.25 ERA, with a 1.26 WHIP and a .230 batting average against. Plus, the Rockies have won in each of his last five starts.
“The conviction with the fastball is key,” Black said. “When a pitcher believes in his fastball, and you have a good fastball, it makes the fastball better.
“It’s still a fastball of 93-94-95-96, and he’s had it all year. But for whatever reason, his conviction with his fastball for the past month makes it better. He wills it to good spots. He wills it to get outs.”
Still, Feltner had not won a decision at Coors since Aug. 9, 2022, vs. the Cardinals, an unwanted franchise record of 21 consecutive starts without a win at home. He was aware of the history, but not concerned.
“It doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t look into that stuff,” he said. “I just go out there to try and win the game.”
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers and shortstop Tovar turned a sweet double play to end the sixth, and center fielder Brenton Doyle made a running catch in center field to rob Eugenio Suarez of extra bases in the seventh.
The D-backs scored their only run off Feltner in the fourth, combining a leadoff double by Pavin Smith, a sacrifice bunt by Jake McCarthy and a groundout by Suarez.
Tovar (3 for 5, two RBIs) continues to prove he’s one of baseball’s best shortstops. He led off the third with a homer off Jordan Montgomery for his team-leading 25th long ball of the season. Tovar has also hit 43 doubles, the most by a shortstop in franchise history, the second-most in the NL, and the most by a Rockie since Nolan Arenado swatted 43 in 2017. The last Rockies player who had more than 43 doubles in a season was Matt Holliday, who had 50 in 2007.
In the seventh, Goodman, serving as the designated hitter instead of catching, hit a two-out, 441-foot solo blast to center off lefty reliever Blake Walston. It was Goodman’s second straight game with a homer, his fourth of the current homestand, and 13th of the season.
Colorado strung together three hits off Montgomery to take a 2-0 lead in the third. Michael Toglia led off with a soft double into no man’s land in shallow right field and scored on Stallings’ double to left. Jordan Beck (2 for 3) drove in Stallings with a two-out double to left.
If the Padres fail to catch the Dodgers in the National League West, or should they slip in the wild-card race, they’ll no doubt mutter under their breath about those blankity-blank Rockies.
The Rockies beat San Diego again Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, winning 3-2 behind timely hits and a stellar start from rookie Bradley Blalock. The Rockies won the three-game series, halting the Padres’ streak of eight consecutive series victories.
Victor Vodnik shut down San Diego in the ninth for his ninth save.
Colorado is tracking toward another 100-loss season, but it went 8-5 vs. the Padres this season. The Padres entered Sunday’s game having won 20 of their last 24 games.
Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle’s leadoff triple off of reliever Bryan Hoeing ignited the Rockies’ game-clinching two-run sixth. With one out, San Diego decided to intentionally walk the dangerous Michael Toglia, put runners on the corners, and pitch to slow-footed catcher Jacob Stallings.
The move backfired. Stallings punched a single to right, and when David bobbled the ball for an error, Toglia raced to third. Toglia scored on Sam Hilliard’s groundout to second for a 3-1 Colorado lead.
Manny Machado’s big swing cut the lead to 3-2 with a leadoff homer off Tyler Kinley in the eighth. Kinley left a hanging slider over the heart of the plate and Machado ripped it down the left-field line for his 19th homer.
Blalock has pitched like a cool veteran in his first two starts with the Rockies. And the rookie right-hander took a step forward on Sunday, matching Padres veteran Joe Musgrove. Blalock gave up one run over 5 2/3 innings on six hits and three walks while striking out two.
San Diego scratched out a run in the fourth on a single by Xander Bogaerts and an RBI double by David Peralta.
In Blalock’s first major league start and Rockies debut on Monday at Arizona, he allowed three runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one.
Musgrove limited Colorado to one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. The Rockies got to Musgrove in the third on a leadoff single by Jordan Beck and a line-drive RBI double into the left-field corner by Aaron Schunk.
Brendan Rodgers had another hot August night, and the Rockies cooled off the sizzling Padres.
Rodgers’ three-run, first-inning homer sparked the Rockies’ 7-3 victory Friday at Coors Field. San Diego, trying to topple the Dodgers from the National League West throne, came into the game having won 19 of its previous 22 games.
Rodgers extended his hitting streak to 10 games and is hitting .392 this month, with six doubles, three homers and a 1.115 OPS.
His 10th homer of the season was the catalyst to Colorado’s four-run first. Rodgers blasted a 77.3 mph knuckleball from right-hander Matt Waldron 439 feet and deep into the left-field bleachers.
“It’s been fun,” Rodgers said. “I usually do struggle in August. But I talked to my hitter guy and some people I trust a lot with the developmental part of the game. So I decided to trust it and just keep going.”
Manager Bud Black is thrilled with Rodgers’ production and his ability to “go to the post” as the season heads into its final weeks.
“He’s driving the ball better, and we’re seeing him hit to the gaps and send the ball over the fence,” Black said. “His swing is crisp with some bat speed to it.
“And what’s good about it for me, and to the coaching staff, is that it’s happening in the dog days of August, and it’s happening when guys are tired. It’s happening at the time of year when you really have to fight through some things, physically and mentally. This is a tough time for all players. I’m proud of Brendan.”
Rodgers had plenty of help Friday night. Rookie Jordan Beck (3-for-4) singled in the second and waltzed home on Charlie Blackmon’s eighth homer of the season. In the sixth, Beck drove in Michael Toglia with a single to right. Toglia led off with a hustle double to right.
Blackmon’s homer was his first since July 22 vs. Boston. His 223 career home runs are four shy of tying Carlos Gonzalez for fifth in franchise history.
Colorado right-hander Cal Quantrill, making his first start since Aug. 4 because he was sidelined with forearm soreness, turned in a workmanlike, five-inning start.
“Early on, I was a little tentative and I made some bad pitches in the first and second,” Quantrill said. “But I think we settled in after that. I thought (catcher Jacob Stallings) called a good game, and we kept mixing it up just enough. We didn’t rely too heavily on the fastball or the splitter, we just had a nice change of pace.
“It probably won’t be my best start ever, but we’ve talked about the importance of winning at home. That’s a team that’s really hot right now and we beat them.”
Quantrill is 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 10 starts at Coors, the seventh pitcher in franchise history to post a sub-3.50 ERA through his first 10 starts in LoDo as a member of the Rockies. The others are Austin Gomber, Kyle Freeland, Tyler Anderson, Juan Nicasio, Jeff Francis and Denny Stark.
All three runs Quantrill gave up came on home runs — a two-run blast by Ha-Seong Kim in the second and a leadoff blast by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth.
Quantrill, who gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five, was inefficient, throwing 92 pitches (55 strikes) in his outing.
But the right-hander made big pitches in big moments.
San Diego loaded the bases in the first on a single by Luis Arraez, a hit-by-pitch by Jurickson Profar and a walk by Jake Cronenworth. But Quantrill escaped the jam by striking out Manny Machado and getting Bogaerts to ground into an inning-ending double play.
“You never know when a momentum-changer is coming … but that was dire,” Black said.
Quantrill also escaped trouble in the third with another double play, as well as a sensational catch against the center field wall by Brenton Doyle on Cronenworth’s line drive.
Colorado’s bullpen blanked the Padres for four innings, led by right-hander Tyler Kinley, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless inning and struck out two. He came on for lefty Lucas Gilbreath, who made his first appearance since Aug. 26, 2022.
Rookie closer Victor Vodnik rebounded from his blown save in Tuesday night’s 4-3 loss at Arizona and blanked the Padres in the ninth, although he did give up a hit and a walk.
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
Freeland, who will likely pair up with rookie catcher Drew Romo in Romo’s debut, has made six quality starts in nine games since coming off the 60-day injured list, where he was mending from an elbow strain. He’s gone 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA over that span. However, Freeland was forced out of his last two starts because of blisters on the fingers of his pitching hand. Freeland has made 23 career appearances (21 starts) vs. the Padres, going 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA.
Cease, who no-hit the Nationals on July 26, can dominate any opposing lineup. But the veteran right-hander was not sharp last Sunday against Miami when he gave up five runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings. He fanned five. Cease, who took the loss, got off to a poor start, giving up four singles in the Marlins’ two-run first inning. A shaky San Diego defense didn’t help Cease. Sunday’s loss was Cease’s first since July 7, and it broke a streak of five consecutive appearances allowing no more than one run. In four career starts vs. the Rockies, Cease is 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA. He’s made two starts at Coors Field, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.20) at Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (0-0, 4.05), 1:10 p.m.
The Rockies’ return on investment on Kris Bryant continues to dwindle.
Colorado placed the often-hurt Bryant on the 10-day injured list on Monday for the third time this season, this time with a back strain as the outfielder/first baseman’s arthritic back continues to be an issue.
Bryant, who missed 31 games in April/May with a back strain and then 43 games in June/July with a rib/oblique issue, is batting .218 with two homers, a .301 slugging and -0.7 WAR in 2024.
The Rockies’ highest-paid player with a $28 million salary this year, Bryant is under contract on a seven-year, $182 million deal through 2028. Colorado’s largest free-agent contract in club history has been a bust to this point, as Bryant’s first two seasons in LoDo were also hampered by injuries. He’s played just 36% of the Rockies’ games while in purple pinstripes with 17 total homers.
Bryant’s presence on the roster could soon become an albatross, especially with the Rockies trying to groom younger players at first base (Michael Toglia) and in the corner outfield (Hunter Goodman, and Jordan Beck until he got hurt) amid their rebuild.
In corresponding roster moves on Monday, Colorado recalled Beck from Triple-A Albuquerque as well as right-hander Bradley Blalock from Double-A Hartford.
The rookie Beck hasn’t played in the majors since breaking his hand while diving for a ball on May 25 at Coors Field, but has been hitting well with the Isotopes since getting healthy again. Blalock appeared in one game for the Brewers earlier this season, and has a 6.17 ERA in two starts with Hartford. He is set to start on Monday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, his first MLB start.
Colorado also optioned left-hander Josh Rogers (6.55 ERA in six games) to Triple-A.
Rockies rookie outfielder Jordan Beck broke a bone in his left hand in the Rockies’ 8-4 loss to the Phillies Saturday night at Coors Field.
Beck, 23, jammed his left (glove) hand while making an excellent diving catch on Nick Castellano’s sinking line drive in left field at the end of the first inning. Beck was in obvious pain when he ran off the field.
Sean Bouchard will likely be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Beck on the big-league roster.
Beck is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Rockies’ No. 4 prospect and the 65th-best overall prospect in baseball.
Manager Bud Black said during his postgame press conference that Beck had broken his hand but did not elaborate. Black said he did not think Beck had broken his hand when the injury occurred.
Beck is scheduled to undergo more tests, and there is no timetable for Beck’s rehab or return to the club.
Beck, who made his major league debut on April 30, is batting .180 with two home runs and eight RBIs. He’s made 21 starts in left field and one start in center.
He homered in consecutive games on May 15 at San Diego and on May 17 at San Francisco, his first two career home runs.
