The Rockies came home on a high note, but the Dodgers quickly turned the opener at Coors Field into a reminder of just how steep the climb still is.
After taking back-to-back series from the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants, Colorado ran into Los Angeles and got punched early in an 11-5 loss. The Dodgers opened things up in the first game of the homestand, and the Rockies never really got back on even footing.
Tomoyuki Sugano took the ball for Colorado and couldn’t keep the damage down. He went five innings, allowing seven hits and six runs while walking one and striking out three. That left the Rockies chasing from behind, and against a Dodgers lineup that can make a game feel out of reach in a hurry, the margin for error was basically gone.
Colorado made its own problems worse in the field, committing two errors. Against Los Angeles, that’s the kind of sloppiness that gets exposed fast.
The Rockies did scratch out a couple of runs against Blake Snell and the Dodgers, but they also let chances slip away with men in scoring position. That’s been part of the story with this offense: it has the ability to blow the doors off a game, but it hasn’t shown that kind of punch on a consistent basis.
Hunter Goodman was missing from the starting lineup again because of a shoulder issue, and that absence matters. He’s been Colorado’s most dangerous power bat, and without him, the lineup looks a lot less intimidating.
The bullpen didn’t settle things down, either. Juan Mejia came in after Sugano and gave up three runs on five hits in one inning. TJ Shook also got work, surrendering one run on two hits and a walk while striking out one.
The only Rockies pitcher who kept the Dodgers off the board was Troy Johnston, who entered in the ninth as a position player and managed to stop the bleeding.
Even with the game slipping away, Colorado added some late runs. Johnston chipped in at the plate, Ezequiel Tovar drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Zac Veen followed with an RBI double. It was too little, too late, though, as the Rockies still dropped the opener 11-5.
The loss left Colorado at 27-33 at home and 50-75 overall.
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Rockies Just Made A Telling Move After One Veterans Rough Season
The Rockies reshuffled their pitching staff Monday by recalling right-hander TJ Shook from Triple-A Albuquerque and parting ways with veteran Michael Lorenzen. It was a move that reflected how far Lorenzen had drifted from the role Colorado hoped he could fill after a rough season in which run prevention was a constant problem.
Lorenzen is now headed to waivers, leaving his next step uncertain while Colorado absorbs the shift on the roster and the payroll. Even if another club decides to take a chance on him, the Rockies would still be on the hook for the rest of his salary, a reminder that the cost of a disappointing season does not always end when the player leaves the active roster. [Read more 🡒]
Hunter Goodman Concern Keeps Growing For Rockies Lineup
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The club is still treating Goodman as day-to-day, which leaves the situation hanging for now and makes his status one of the more closely watched items around the roster. Colorado also reshuffled its pitching staff in the same stretch, designating Michael Lorenzen for assignment, recalling TJ Shook and lining up Tanner Gordon to take Lorenzens rotation spot, but Goodmans availability may be the piece that has the most immediate impact on how the lineup looks game to game. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Keep Letting Winnable Games Slip Away For One Painful Reason
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Colorado has already had bullpen moments turn into the difference between a win and another frustrating defeat, including losses attached to Antonio Senzatela and Juan Mejia. Until the pitching stabilizes, especially in those high-leverage spots, the Rockies will keep paying for every shaky inning. If they want any realistic shot at playing meaningful baseball deeper into the season, they have to start closing out the kind of games they keep letting slip away. [Read more 🡒]