When the 2025 Rockies take the field, there’s a good chance something extraordinary will happen. It’s usually not good, but it is unique.
Case in point: Their 13-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field.
The Rockies trailed just 4-3 when Arizona came to bat in the fifth. Right-hander Tanner Gordon retired the first two hitters, but the D-backs rifled out nine consecutive two-out hits and scored eight runs. The D-backs had never done that before, and the Rockies had never had it happen to them before.
The Rockies had their chances to avoid the fifth-inning carnage. Tyler Locklear dribbled an infield squib hit to rookie third baseman Kyle Karros, who couldn’t make the tough play, allowing Arizona to load the bases. Next, Alek Thomas scorched a grounder wide of the first-base bag to rookie Warming Bernabel. Bernabel made a terrific diving stop, but his throw to Gordon, covering the bag, was wild. Thomas was credited with an RBI single, but Bernabel should have made the out.
“You’ve got to put it away, you’ve got to stop the bleeding,” manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters in Phoenix. “It was a combination of things. They are a team that puts the ball in play, and we lacked a putaway in that scenario. Karros dives and almost makes a nice play. Almost.
“Then Bernabel dives and makes a nice play, but he didn’t get the job done after a good defensive game. They strung nine hits together in the fifth inning. It’s a back-breaker. We’ve got to finish innings.”
By game’s end, Arizona hit 10 for 15 with runners in scoring position, and all 13 of its runs came with two outs. Extraordinary.
The trend began in the first inning. Gordon (2-5, 8.37 ERA) got two quick outs, then he gave up singles to Geraldo Perdomo and Gurriel before Adian Del Castillo hit a three-run homer to right, putting Colorado in a 3-0 hole. The Rockies have been outscored 111-47 in the first inning this season.
And so it goes for the woeful Rockies, who got swept by the D-backs, lost their seventh straight game, and are back on pace to challenge the 2024 White Sox for the most losses in the modern era. The White Sox lost 121. With a 30-87 record, the Rockies are on pace to lose 120 games.
The weird thing is, Colorado’s offense came alive in the desert. The Rockies pounded out 16 hits, led by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s 3-for-4 day that included two doubles, and a 2-for-4 performance from center fielder Brenton Doyle, who blasted a two-run homer in Colorado’s three-run seventh inning.
Schaeffer, though heartened by the offensive production, realized that the loss overshadowed the positives.
“Sure, it’s frustrating,” he said. “Nobody in here wants to lose. When you lose any game, it’s frustrating. You lose different games in different ways, but there were a lot of good things in his game — offensively.”
But Colorado’s pitching has been abysmal since the All-Star break. During the 8-13 stretch, starters own an 8.69 ERA. Overall, Rockies pitchers have a collective 8.49 ERA since the break.
Monday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-9, 6.88 ERA) at Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (6-9, 5.11)
5:45 p.m. Monday, Busch Stadium
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: Colorado, swept in three games during a weekend series at Arizona, has been swept 14 times this season, tied for the second-most in franchise history with the inaugural 1993 team. The 2023 team was swept 15 times.
Pitching probables
Tuesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-12, 5.53) at Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (6-9, 3.98), 5:45 p.m.
Wednesday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-6, 6.52) at Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (4-2, 4.40), 12:15 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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