After taking an early lead, blowing it, rallying to tie and then taking another lead in the 10th inning, the Rockies lost on a walk-off error Wednesday in Milwaukee.
So it goes for Colorado in 2023.
Rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s throwing error plated the winning run in the game and the series for the Brewers, ending the Rockies’ promising visit on a low note in a 7-6 defeat at American Family Field.
Colorado wasted a 4-0 advantage and a strong bullpen performance in the process, and left manager Bud Black staring blankly out at the field from the top dugout step following Tovar’s decisive miscue.
“We’re not scoring enough runs to really give us any room to breathe,” Black told reporters. “The bullpen is doing a good job of keeping us in games, and our starters are trying to hang in there. We need our starters to give us length, because we’re using our bullpen a lot.”
Chris Flexen, making his third start for the patchwork Rockies rotation, didn’t do that Wednesday as he ran his pitch count up early and ended up tagged for five runs in five innings.
“The boys battled to give me an early lead, and I did a very poor job of holding the lead,” Flexen told reporters. “I made a lot of mistakes over the plate and they capitalized on them.”
Wednesday’s matinee was all quiet until the fourth inning, when the Rockies blitzed Brewers right-hander Adrian Houser for four runs.
Jurickson Profar led off with a solo homer to right-center, Nolan Jones had an RBI double and Harold Castro stroked a two-run single to put Colorado ahead.
But Milwaukee responded against Flexen in the bottom of the frame, scoring three runs on three hits and a walk, and then took a 5-4 lead with two more runs in the fifth off back-to-back solo homers by Willy Adames and Andruw Monasterio.
While Colorado’s bullpen diced through the late innings, the Rockies evened the game on a two-out error in the seventh by Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, which allowed Cole Tucker to score.
Daniel Bard, Tyler Kinley, Brent Suter and Matt Koch all tossed a scoreless inning apiece to get the Rockies to the 10th. The Brewers managed just one hit off that quartet, and struck out eight times.
In the extra frame, Tovar’s first career extra-innings hit scored Profar from first, after Tucker was thrown out at home the play before. But Justin Lawrence couldn’t hold the fort, yielding a leadoff ground-rule RBI double to Mark Canha before Tovar threw away the would-be third out on a routine play to first base that plated the winning run. It was Tovar’s sixth error of 2023.
“I thought playing for one run there (with a leadoff bunt in the 10th) with Lawrence in the bullpen was the way to go,” Black said. “It was just a normal groundball to short (for the third out), and it was a rare error by Tovar… It was a low throw and Michael (Toglia) couldn’t dig it out.”
The Rockies, 3-3 on the six-game road trip that featured the club’s first series win in St. Louis since 2009, now head to Los Angeles for a four-game set with the Dodgers. Colorado is 1-4 against L.A. so far this year.
Promotions on the farm. The Rockies made a number of significant promotions Tuesday, including bumping right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik and utilityman Hunter Goodman from Double-A Hartford to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Vodnik, acquired at the deadline from the Braves, features a fastball that can touch triple digits as well as a plus-changeup. He profiles as a back-end bullpen arm when he gets to Coors Field, which could be as soon as this September.
Meanwhile, Goodman set the Yard Goats’ single-season record with 25 homers this year, and welcomed himself to Triple-A with his first career grand slam during Tuesday night’s game with the Isotopes. Goodman can catch, play corner outfield and the Rockies are now also expanding his defensive versatility to first base.
The Rockies also promoted outfielder Sterlin Thompson, the organization’s No. 9 overall prospect, from High-A Spokane to Hartford, and sent southpaw Mason Albright (a starter acquired as part of the deal for C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk) from Low-A Fresno to Spokane.
Thursday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Ty Blach (1-1, 4.85 ERA) at Dodgers TBA
8:10 p.m. Thursday, Dodger Stadium
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Blach is making his fourth start of the season. After a string of promising outings, the Regis Jesuit product allowed four runs over four-plus innings in his last start over the weekend in St. Louis. He’s pitched well against the Dodgers in his career, with a 3.27 ERA in 71 2/3 innings, and he’s 1-1 with a 1.16 ERA in eight games (two starts) at Chavez Ravine. Los Angeles (4-1 against the Rockies this year despite injuries to their own rotation) has yet to name its starter.
Pitching probables
Friday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (9-8, 5.40) at Dodgers RHP Lance Lynn (8-9, 6.11) 8:10 p.m., ATTRM
Saturday: Rockies RHP Peter Lambert (2-3, 5.57) at Dodgers RHP Tony Gonsolin (7-4, 4.42), 8:10 p.m., ATTRM
Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-12, 4.84) at Dodgers LHP Julio Urias (9-6, 4.39), 2:10 p.m., ATTRM
