There’s no crying in baseball, but what happened to Ryan Feltner on Saturday night was a crying shame.
For three innings, the Rockies’ right-hander was crisp, efficient and in total command of all of his pitches. Feltner illustrated, for a small slice of the game, why manager Bud Black and the Rockies’ brass love his stuff.
But …
It all caved in on Feltner in the fourth inning when the Mariners sent nine men to the plate and scored five runs en route to a 9-2 laugher at T-Mobile Park.
“Hard lessons,” manager Bud Black told reporters in Seattle.
The Rockies (5-10) have lost four consecutive games and fell to 2-6 on the road.
The Mariners’ fourth-inning at-bat began with a bad omen for Colorado when Eugenio Suarez muscled a leadoff, opposite-field homer to right, tying the game 1-1. The Rockies entered the night 0-9 this season when allowing at least one home run vs. a 5-0 record when not giving up a homer.
Following Suarez’s long ball, Cal Raleigh reached on an infield single, but Feltner struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Jarred Kelenic and was one good pitch from escaping trouble.
But Feltner walked No. 7 hitter Tommy La Stella and No. 8 hitter Kolten Wong — both on full counts — to load the bases. No. 9 hitter J.P. Crawford followed with a bloop RBI single to left, and then Julio Rodriguez ripped a three-run triple into the right-field corner.
Feltner’s night was done: 3 2/3 innings, five runs on five hits, three walks and five strikeouts, leaving the right-hander with an unsightly 8.78 ERA after three starts.
“For Ryan, that’s where a young pitcher with lesser service time needs to grow and really understand the importance of throwing strikes at that point in the game and challenging the bottom of the order,” Black said. “Those walks should not happen. It’s a growth moment for Ryan. You saw what he’s capable of doing with his stuff, but you have to continue it.”
The game turned really ugly in the sixth when the Mariners scored four runs on just two hits but cashed in on an error charged to Rockies rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar who was handcuffed on a throw by C.J. Cron, and two walks and two hit batters as relievers Brent Suter and Connor Seabold imploded.
Seattle had only eight hits, but Rockies pitchers walked six, something that has gnawed at Black all season.
As for the Rockies’ offense, it was mostly helpless in Seattle against right-hander George Kirby, who retired 11 in a row from the third through the sixth inning. Over 6 1/3 innings, Kirby gave up two runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
“He’s got a good arm and a good fastball and he’s able to put it at the top of the zone,” Black said. “You saw him jam some right-handed hitters with the late movement on the fastball, in on their hands.”
The Rockies took a 1-0 lead in the second on singles by C.J. Cron, Elias Diaz and Elehuris Montero, who drove in Cron.
The red-hot Diaz also drove in Cron for Colorado’s second run with a double in the seventh. Diaz has reached base in 12 consecutive games, setting a career-high. And his nine-game hitting streak is also the longest of his career. Over those nine games, he’s hit .500 (14-for-28) with two home runs and seven RBIs.
The Rockies, who’ve lost six straight on the road, will attempt to avoid getting swept in Sunday’s finale of the three-game series in Seattle.
Sunday’s Pitching Matchup
Rockies RHP Noah Davis (2023 debut) at Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (1-0, 1.02 ERA)
2:10 p.m. Sunday, T-Mobile Park
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Although the Rockies hadn’t made an official roster move yet, manager Bud Black told reporters Saturday that Davis will be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque and start Sunday’s game, filling the hole in the rotation created when righty German Marquez went on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Davis made his big-league debut at the end of last season, pitching one inning against the Dodgers, giving up two runs on three hits (including a homer) and striking out two. In three games for the Isotopes this season, Davis is 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA and 1.658 WHIP. He’s walked seven and struck out six.
Castillo has been terrific over his first three starts. He did not factor in the decision against the Cubs on Monday, but pitched a strong six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five. In his first two starts, he pitched a combined 11 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits. The Rockies, however, have hammered him. He’s 0-3 with an 11.30 ERA in three starts and has served up five homers. Two of those games, and three of those homers, came at Coors Field.
Pitching probables
Monday: Pirates LHP Rich Hill (0-2, 7.20) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-0, 0.96), 6:40, ATTRM
Tuesday: Pirates RHP Vince Valasquez (1-2, 5.40) at Rockies RHP Jose Urena (0-2, 9.90), 6:40, ATTRM
Wednesday: Pirates RHP Johan Oviedo (1-1, 2.45) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-3, 8.16), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM
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