Twenty-two games into the season, the Rockies have yet to win back-to-back games.
Call it the Rockies’ Catch-22.
If they hit well — an increasingly rare occurrence — they don’t pitch well. If they pitch well — an occasional occurrence — they don’t hit.
After beating the Mariners, 2-1 in 10 innings, in the opener of Sunday’s split-doubleheader at Coors Field to snap a six-game losing streak, Colorado had a chance for back-to-back wins. But that opportunity evaporated when the Mariners blew up starter Peter Lambert with a six-run second inning and cruised to a 10-2 victory.
It didn’t help that Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock limited the Rockies to two runs on four hits over six innings. The two runs came on Elias Diaz’s two-run double in the first.
Manager Bud Black continues to lament his club’s missed opportunities at the plate.
“We are just missing some pitches,” he said. “If you notice all of the foul balls that are taking place, it seems like we are just a tick late on the fastball. On the secondary pitches, we are just a little bit ahead. Our timing is just a little bit off with a number of players. We are not squaring up the ball. And we had some pitches to hit today.”
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers agreed with Black and added, “The clutch hit, the bases-loaded hit, the two-out hit with men on second and third early in the game is something we need to capitalize on a little bit more.”
And so the Mariners took two of three to win the series, leaving Colorado (5-17) without a series victory this season.
Lambert, who had been the Rockies’ long reliever, moved into the starting rotation when left-hander Kyle Freeland went on the injured list with an elbow strain. Lambert was eager to show what he could do, but the second inning was messy.
Seattle ripped off six hits, including a three-run triple by J.P. Crawford. Lambert hit Luke Raley and Luis Urias in back-to-back at-bats, setting the table for Crawford’s big hit. Then Crawford scored on Lambert’s wild pitch.
“It kind of snowballed quickly; it happened really fast,” Lambert said. “Obviously, the two hit-by-pitches didn’t help. I fell behind some guys, and with Crawford with the bases juiced, you can’t really do that.”
The Mariners stowed the game away with a three-run sixth against right-hander Noah Davis. Seby Zavala hit a two-out double and scored on Julio Rodriguez’s two-out bloop single to right. Cal Raleigh put an exclamation point on the inning with a two-run homer to center.
Davis, added to the roster as the 27th player for the doubleheader, departed the game in the seventh inning with a right shoulder injury. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday. After the game, he was sent back to Triple-A Albuquerque.
“He felt some tightness in his shoulder,” Black said. “We’ll see what’s next with Noah.”
Colorado’s victory in the opener featured a wild final two innings.
Ryan McMahon’s RBI infield single in the 10th drove in Charlie Blackmon and gave the Rockies their second walk-off win this season. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s single to score Jacob Stallings had tied the game, 1-1.
McMahon also played hero in the Rockies’ first walk-off win of the season when he hit a grand slam in a 10-7 victory over Tampa Bay on April 5 in the Rockies’ home opener.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the top of fame on J.P. Crawford’s RBI single in the top of the 10th, but Rockies reliever Justin Lawrence retired the next three hitters.
The Game 1 win provided a bit of baseball justice for the Rockies. They thought they’d won the game with a two-out, walk-off homer in the ninth on Stallings’ 373-foot drive to left field. However, a fan deflected the ball away from Mariners left fielder Dylan Moore, who jumped for it only to see it land back on the field. Stallings’ hit was initially ruled a double, but the Rockies challenged. After a review, the umpires ruled that the fan had interfered with Moore’s ability to make the play and called Stallings out, sending the game into extra innings.
The game was an extreme pitcher’s dual, a rare occurrence at Coors Field. It was scoreless through nine innings, just the third home game in Rockies history to enter extra innings in a scoreless tie.
Rockies starter Cal Quantrill, pitching with a nasty stomach bug that had him throwing up in between innings, tossed six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out four. He did issue a career-high tying five walks but wiggled out of trouble. Quantrill made his third straight quality start.
Doyle injured. Center fielder Brenton Doyle was drilled in the left side of his rib cage by a fastball from Seattle’s Trent Thornton in the sixth inning of Game 1. Doyle was in the original lineup for Game 2, but took some swings before the game and Black said Doyle’s swing “was compromised.” So Colorado scratched Doyle from the second game. Black said the Rockies don’t think the injury is anything worse than a bruise.
Offensive Woes
A number of players whom the Rockies would produce this season are in early-season slumps:
• 1B/RF Michael Toglia — .106/.143/.362 … 40.8% strikeout rate
• 1B/DH/RF Kris Bryant * — .149/.273/.255 … 32.7% strikeout rate
• LF Nolan Jones — .148/.225/.259 … 37.1% strikeout rate
• 1B/DH Elehuris Montero — .220/.262.237 … 15.4.% strikeout rate
• 2B Brendan Rodgers — .203/.239./.297 … 25.4% strikeout rate
* Currently on injured list
Monday’s pitching matchups
Padres RHP Dylan Cease (2-1, 1.99 ERA) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-1, 4.95)
6:40 p.m. Monday, 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
Overall, Gomber has a solid track record vs. the Padres. In 13 appearances (eight starts), he’s tossed five quality starts, worth a 2-3 record and a 3.61 ERA. He last faced the Padres on July 31 last season, allowing two runs over six innings. He made three starts against San Diego last season, going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA, striking out 10 and walking five.
Cease, acquired in a trade from the White Sox, has been a solid addition for the Padres. He pitched six innings in his last start in a 6-3 win over the Brewers last Tuesday. Cease walked five batters but struck out seven. He was charged with one run and two hits while throwing 110 pitches, three short of his career high. He’s made two starts against Colorado, going 0-0 with a 6.52 ERA that includes 14 strikeouts and four walks. In his one career start at Coors Field, he was walloped, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits (one homer) in 4 2/3 innings.
Pitching probables
Tuesday: Padres RHP Michael King (2-1, 3.33) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-2, 5.06), 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Padres RHP Matt Waldron (0-2, 4.74) at Rockies TBA, 6:40 p.m.
Thursday: Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (0-1, 1.80) at Rockies TBA, 1:10 p.m.
Friday: Off day
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