What a waste.
Ryan Feltner pitched the game of his career Saturday night, but the Rockies’ suspect bullpen collapsed, squandered a 6-1 lead, and Tampa Bay roared back for an 8-6 win at wind-battered Coors Field.
The Rockies’ record is now 2-7. Only the 2005 club, which was 1-8 after nine games, has had a worse start to a season.
Feltner struck out a career-high 10 and limited the Rays to one run on two hits over six innings. He walked two.
“He threw the ball great, and he had really good fastball and had a lot of strikeouts with the fastball,” manager Bud Black said. “That was good to see and should give him a lot of confidence going forward. … I thought he threw outstanding.”
But the Rays scored two runs in the seventh inning of right-hander Jake Bird, cutting the lead to 6-3. The big hit was Ben Rortvedt’s double to right, which scored Richie Palacios and Harold Ramirez. Bird opened the inning by walking Palacios.
The Rays’ five-run eighth blew away Colorado’s victory chance. Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer off Tyler Kinley, then Ramirez followed with an RBI double off Kinley.
Black called on lefty Jalen Beeks, but Amed Rosario hit an RBI single to left, tying the game, 6-6. Then Beeks issued back-to-back walks, nicely setting the table for the Rays.
In came closer Justin Lawrence, fresh off a poor performance in the Rockies’ 10-7 miracle win on Friday. Yandy Diaz smoked a two-run, bad-hop single past first baseman Michael Toglia for the go-ahead runs.
“The conditions were tough, but I still had to do my job, and I failed at that,” Beeks said. “Feltner pitched great and the offense did well. I came in and had to keep a guy at third (base) and I didn’t. And those two walks are unacceptable. In the end, I just have to figure out how to stay in the zone and get guys out.”
Saturday marked the Rockies’ first defeat when leading by five or more runs entering the seventh inning since May 16, 2021, vs. Cincinnati. The Rockies were ahead 6-1 and ended up losing 7-6.
Black said he was “concerned, for sure,” about the bullpen.
“We had two outs in the eighth with three of our most-seasoned pitchers out there trying to get that last out and we couldn’t get it,” Black continued. “There are stretches during the season when it goes like this. It’s a little bit magnified, because it’s early (in the season), but you always want to win those games when you have a lead late in the game. And those guys know it.”
Before the Rays took a wrecking ball to Colorado’s ‘pen, Feltner was dominant.
His 10 Ks were the most by a Colorado pitcher since Kyle Freeland struck out 10 on August 21, 2021, vs. Arizona at Coors Field. The Rockies were the only team not to have a pitcher record nine or more strikeouts in a game over the 2022-23 seasons.
Feltner became just the third pitcher in franchise history to pitch six innings and allow two or fewer hits with 10+ strikeouts in a start at Coors Field, joining German Marquez (July 31, 2019, vs. the Dodgers) and Ubaldo Jiménez (Sept. 30, 2007, vs. Arizona).
“I was attacking in the zone with my two-seam and four-seam (fastballs) and I think that was key,” Feltner said. “I had a really good game plan with (catcher Elias Diaz), and I had a lot of things working. I felt good about all of my pitches.”
Feltner got plenty of help from an offense that has emerged from early-season hibernation. Ryan McMahon, the hero Friday afternoon with his walk-off grand slam in Colorado’s 10-7 win, hit a solo home run in the second inning to tie the game, 1-1.
Toglia blasted a two-run homer to left through the howling wind in the fourth, and Brenton Doyle hit a two-run shot to right in the sixth. For Toglia, a switch hitter, it was just the second homer of his career from the right side of the plate in 88 plate appearances.
Tampa Bay scored a run in the first on Isaac Paredes’ RBI single to drive in Brandon Lowe, who reached on a one-out walk. In the third, Feltner issued a leadoff walk to Jose Siri but proceeded to strike out Diaz, Lowe and Randy Arozarena.
Bryant sits. Kris Bryant, who hit a two-run homer in the Rockies’ 10-7 win over the Rays on Friday, sat out Saturday’s game because of a tight back. Bryant received treatment before the game.
“It was a little bit tight in Chicago. He played through it,” manager Bud Black said. “So you don’t want to pick a scab here. Let’s get it feeling better.”
Black said he didn’t consider Bryant to be “injured,” adding that he would not be surprised if Bryant returned to the lineup on Sunday. Bryant is hitting .120 (3-for-25) with one homer, three RBIs, two walks and 12 strikeouts.
RyMac attack. McMahon hit a home run in his first at-bat after ending Friday’s game with his walk-off slam. He’s the fifth Rockies player to follow a walk-off home run with a home run in their first at-bat of the next game, joining Charlie Blackmon (April 19-20, 2019 vs. the Phillies), Jason Giambi (Aug. 15-16, 2011 vs. the Marlins), Dante Bichette (May 31-June 1, 1998 vs. the Diamondbacks) and Larry Walker (June 5-7, 1997 vs. the Marlins).
McMahon has hit safely in eight of nine games to begin the season and is slashing .406/.474/.656.
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