While the Nuggets were taking care of business in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami Friday night, it was business as usual at Coors Field.
In front of an announced crowd of 32,551, the punchless Rockies lost their fifth straight game and fell for the ninth time in their last 11 outings.
In their 9-6 loss to the Padres, the Rockies were outhit, out-homered, and out-pitched. San Diego slugged five balls over the wall, while Colorado hit one — a 441-foot, two-run blast by Mike Moustakas to right in the eighth off of Nick Martinez.
That brings up an interesting — and if you’re the Rockies, a disconcerting — statistic. Opponents have hit 45 home runs at Coors Field this season, while the Rockies have hit 30. Please don’t tell the Blake St. Bombers.
“You can’t try to hit homers, they have to come,” manager Bud Black said. “We talked about it earlier in the year. It was something we thought would be part of our offense and it just hasn’t been.”
The Rockies fell to 26-39 and are a season-worst 13 games below .500 and on pace to finish 65-97.
San Diego pounded lefty Austin Gomber like a piñata: seven runs on 11 hits over four-plus innings. The Rockies, meanwhile, didn’t begin solving veteran right-hander Yu Darvish until their three-run sixth inning, sparked by Elehuris Montero’s two-run, pinch-hit single. Darvish, who won the 100th game of his career, pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He struck out six and walked four.
Gomber served up three homers, tying a career-high. Manny Machado lined a two-run homer to right in the first, Trent Grisham led off the second with a homer to left-center, and Gary Sanchez launched a two-run blast to left-center, also in the second.
“It was (bad) location and maybe not throwing the right pitch at the right time,” said Gomber, whose 11 hits allowed were a career-high and the most by a Rockies starter since German Marquez allowed 11 on May 21, 2022, vs. the Mets. “It multiplies when you are throwing the wrong pitch to the wrong spot. They have a lot of good hitters over there and you just have to be better. Quite honestly, you just have to be better.”
Black knows that Gomber can overpower a lineup and when Gomber isn’t precise, he gets belted.
“The issue tonight was the ball up and out over the plate, and they didn’t miss it,” Black said. “Austin has to do everything as far as pitch mix and the fastball. There are times when he will beat guys up with the fastball, but usually, it’s in at the hands. His overall command of the ball was not where it needed to be.”
Gomber owns a 7.57 ERA and Friday marked his second short start in a row. In his last outing at Kansas City, he departed after just 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four. At least Colorado won that game, 6-4.
San Diego’s fourth and fifth homers came off of long reliever Peter Lambert. Fernando Tatis Jr. skied a 425-foot leadoff homer to center in the sixth and Brandon Dixon hit a two-out solo shot in the seventh to put the Padres ahead, 9-4.
The silver linings in the loss were Montero’s two-run single and the continued production of Nolan Jones, who started in right field. Jones drew two walks and is slashing .349/.404/.581 since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 26. He’s stolen a base in four-straight games, becoming the eighth Rockies player to swipe a base in at least four consecutive games. The last one to do it was Charlie Blackmon, who stole a base in five straight games from June 11-15, 2011.
Closing time. Black said before Friday’s game that he was removing right-hander Pierce Johnson from the closer role. Johnson blew a save in Colorado’s 6-4 loss to the Giants Thursday night, giving up three runs in the ninth inning.
Johnson, who grew up in Arvada, signed a one-year, $5 million free-agent contract with Colorado last offseason. He converted his first 11 save chances this season, but he’s blown two saves in a row and owns a 7.50 ERA and a 1.958 WHIP. Opponents were batting .378 (14 for 37) with no runners on base, .313 (10 for 32) with runners in scoring position, and .350 (7 for 20) with RISP and two outs.
“We’re going to take a step back with Pierce and move him earlier in the game,” Black said. “We’ll see how each game plays out.”
The Rockies could turn to right-handers Daniel Bard, Justin Lawrence or Jake Bird, or lefty Brad Hand as their new closer. Black would prefer to have a designated ninth-inning pitcher but did not name which pitcher would take over that role.
Asked if he has a timetable to choose a closer, Black said: “No timetable. Let’s just play it out.”
Saturday’s Pitching Matchup
Padres LHP Ryan Weathers (1-4, 5.09 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-7, 4.06)
1:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Freeland is coming off a heartbreaker in Kansas City. He pitched very well, allowing two runs on four hits (including a homer) in seven innings but was tagged with his seventh loss of the season. Saturday will mark his second start against the Padres this season. He pitched in the second game of the season at Petco Park, going six innings, allowing no runs and just three hits in Colorado’s 4-1 victory. Over his last four starts, Freeland has received just one run of support.
Weathers is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing five runs over 1 2/3 innings in San Diego’s 7-1 loss to the Cubs on Sunday at Petco. There’s a possibility that Weathers will be removed from the rotation if he doesn’t start pitching better. In four career games (three starts) vs. the Rockies, Weathers is 0-1 with a 9.69 ERA, including a 7.71 ERA in two games (one start) at Coors Field.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Padres LHP Blake Snell (2-6, 4.06) at Rockies RHP Dinelson Lamet (1-3, 12.42), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM
Monday: Rockies RHP Connor Seabold (1-2, 5.10) at Red Sox LHP James Paxton (2-1, 3.81), 5:10 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 2.25) at Red Sox RHP Kutter Crawford (1-3, 3.68), 5:10 p.m., ATTRM
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