Loco in LoDo.
An apt description of what transpired Saturday afternoon at Coors Field.
The last team standing was the Washington Nationals, who hung on to win, 12-11.
Despite signs of life from their hitherto dormant offense, the Rockies lost their seventh straight. They own a 3-16 record, the worst 19-game start in franchise history.
In the ninth, Colorado had the tying run at third in Mickey Moniak, who had tripled home Hunter Goodman. But the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan struck out Jordan Beck looking to close out the crazy affair. Colorado struck out 17 times, tying a franchise record for the most strikeouts in a home game.
Washington led 12-2 when the Rockies came to the plate in the seventh. Three hits, three walks and two hit batters later, the Rockies trailed 12-10. Colorado’s big blows were a two-run triple by leadoff hitter Sean Bouchard and a three-run triple by Beck that left fielder Alex Call misplayed. Bases-loaded walks by Goodman and Moniak pushed across two runs in the inning.
Chase Dollander, touted as Colorado’s potential future ace, continues to get hurt by the long ball. The right-hander gave up four home runs in four innings as his ERA ballooned to 7.36. Dollander was charged with nine runs (six earned) on seven hits. In three starts, he’s been tagged for eight homers.
Dylan Crews hit a two-run homer on a cutter up in the zone in the second inning. Josh Bell hit a solo homer in the fourth on a 97 mph, 0-1 fastball that Dollander again left up in the zone. Later in the fourth, James Wood mashed a three-run homer on another fastball left up.
In the fifth, Crews mashed a two-run homer on another misplaced fastball.
Dollander said he knows he can’t make mistakes like that at the big-league level.
“I knew that coming in,” Dollander said. “Obviously, these hitters are different than minor league hitters. They get paid for a reason. I just missed my spot a few times. If you do that more than once in a game, they are going to take advantage of it.”
Black knows that Dollander has talent, but he also knows that the rookie has a lot to learn.
“In a school of hard knocks, he’ll learn that location is a premium,” Black said. “Some intended pitches didn’t get to the spot. He’ll be fine, he’ll have a fine career, but he’ll learn the importance of fastball location and the ability to keep the ball down, overall.”
Meanwhile, Colorado’s strikeout woes continued. Of the Rockies’ 17 K’s, 13 came at the hands of Washington lefty MacKenzie Gore, who limited the Rockies to two runs on four hits over six innings. Michael Toglia and Aaron Shunk led the whiff parade with three strikeouts each.
“He wasn’t leaving a lot of pitches on the dish,” Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon said of Gore’s performance. “It’s an elite heater.”
Moniak, who hit a two-run homer off Gore in the second, drove in four runs for Colorado.
The two teams play a split doubleheader on Sunday, with the second game serving as the makeup for Friday’s game, which was snowed out.
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