The Rockies’ road to perdition is paved with strikeouts, missed opportunities and bad pitching.
The latest example? Their 8-3 loss to Washington on Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. The Rockies managed six hits and struck out 13 times. They took just one game of the three-game series, scoring a not-so-grand total of seven runs.
With an 18-47 road record, the Rockies are on pace to go 22-59, tied with the 2023 team for the second-worst in franchise history. The 2014 team went 21-60 away from Coors Field.
After Thursday’s loss, the road Rockies:
• Are hitting .220. Only the White Sox (.216) have hit worse.
• Have struck out 680 times, the most in the majors.
• Own a .643 OPS, the third-lowest.
• Have pitched to a 5.69 ERA, the highest in the majors.
Thursday marked Bud Black’s 1,160th game managing the Rockies, and he passed Clint Hurdle (1,159 from 2002 to ’09) for the most games managed in franchise history. Black’s 523 wins are second-most, trailing Hurdle’s 534.
Black watched asNationals left-hander Patrick Corbin turned back the clock to his days with Arizona when he often dominated the Rockies. The veteran, 35, dazzled the Rockies for six innings, striking out a season-high eight and walking just one.
Corbin won his 100th career game, and 12 of them have come against the Rockies.
“He had a good mix of pitches,” Black told reporters. “The thing that stood out to me was a running fastball away from our righties. And he didn’t leave a lot of secondary pitches up in the strike zone.
“We fished a little bit, but he did was he’s done the last couple of years when he pitches good games — throwing strikes, changing speeds, keeping hitters guessing. He did that today.”
Of Colorado’s four hits off Corbin, the only hit that did any damage was a solo homer to center field by Brenton Doyle with two outs in the sixth.
Doyle’s homer was his team-leading 21st, extending his career-long hitting streak to 11 games. During the streak, Doyle has slashed .364/404/.614 with two homers, three doubles, a triple, five RBIs, and 10 runs scored.
Starter Cal Quantrill gave Colorado a chance to win. The right-hander, still being cautious because of right forearm tightness, pitched five innings. He gave up two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out four.
“He battled, but the pitch count the first couple of innings was a little bit high,” Black said. “We’re watching a little bit of Cal’s arm here in the last bit of August. Hopefully, he can finish strong.
“It’s not like they hit him hard at all. Corbin outpitched him, and then we couldn’t keep it close out of the bullpen.”
A leadoff walk to Joey Gallow came back to haunt Quantrill in the Nationals’ two-run third. A single by Alex Call, followed by a two-run single by James Wood, did the damage.
The Rockies trailed just 2-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, but the roof caved in on relievers Lucas Gilbreath and Peter Lambert.
Gilbreath, pitching in just his second big-league game since returning from a nearly two-year absence, gave up three runs on four hits and a hit-by-pitch. He failed to record an out.
Lambert gave up three runs on five hits in two innings. Juan Yepez ripped a three-run homer off Lambert in the eighth.
Catcher Jacob Stallings hit a two-run homer in the ninth for Colorado, his eighth of the season, tying his career high, set in 2021.
The Rockies open a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Friday. It will mark the Rockies’ first visit to the Bronx since 2019 and just their fifth in franchise history. They also played there in 2004, ’11, and ’16.
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Friday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (3-5, 5.97 ERA) at Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon (13-8, 4.34)
5:05 p.m. Friday, Yankee 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
Freeland has been mostly solid since returning from the injured list, making a quality start in six of his 10 outings and posting a 3.97 ERA. But he was not sharp in his last start, giving up five earned runs over five innings. His previous two starts were cut short because of blisters on his pitching hand. Freeland has allowed 11 earned runs over his last 13 1/3 innings. The lefty has made one career start against the Yankees, pitching four innings on July 19, 2019, at Yankee Stadium. He was charged with five runs on six hits, with three walks and six strikeouts.
Rodon has put together a solid season, but the lefty struggled in his last start, taking the loss last Saturday in Detroit. He gave up four runs over a season-low 3 1/3 innings. Rodon has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of his 25 starts, including two runs or fewer in 15 starts. In five career starts vs. Colorado, Rodon is 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA.
Pitching probables
Saturday: Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (0-0, 2.92) at Yankees RHP Marcus Stroman (8-6, 3.82), 12:05 p.m.
Sunday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (4-8, 4.64) at Yankees TBD, 11:35 a.m.
Originally Published: August 22, 2024 at 2:19 p.m.
