The Colorado Rockies battled like crazy, but they just could not prevent San Diego’s late insurance runs, ultimately falling 8-7 in a gut-wrenching game Monday night at Coors Field. It was an absolute heartbreaker, with the Rockies trailing 6-1 after four innings before fighting their way back, only to watch Padres closer Mason Miller slam the door shut for his 37th save of the season. Those two strikeouts Miller notched were the only two the Rockies recorded all game. This loss wasn’t just another notch in the belt; it was the eighth straight loss for Colorado, while the Padres are now on an eight-game winning streak. Seriously, the Rockies are a brutal 1-9 against San Diego this season. Ouch.
Early Bombs and a Familiar Struggle
It’s getting tough to watch, honestly. When you’re consistently getting beat up by the same team, and your pitcher gives up homers, it’s a recipe for disaster. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr. absolutely hammered Tomoyuki Sugano early, putting the Rockies in a hole right from the jump. Machado crushed a two-out solo homer in the first inning to put San Diego up immediately. Then, in the second inning, after Jackson Merrill singled, Xander Bogaerts walked, and Jake Cronenworth hit an RBI single, Freddy Fermin had a sac fly. That all set the table for Tatís’s two-run bomb, pushing the Padres’ lead to 5-1. Just like that, it was four hits, one walk, and five runs. Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said it plain, “Tomo was behind in counts and, therefore, got hit hard like hanging a two-strike breaking ball to Machado in the first. I just thought he was behind in counts and didn’t get to really see his good stuff with two strikes.” Sugano has given up two homers in four of his last seven starts, and he got hit hard again in the third, surrendering a double to Ty France and Merrill’s second RBI double, making it 6-1. Sugano was pulled after five innings, giving up six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Rough.
The Rally That Wasn’t Quite Enough
Even after all that, there were glimpses of hope, especially with Casey Mize pitching. He gave up a two-out double to Hunter Goodman and an RBI single to TJ Rumfield in the first, tying the game briefly. But Mize settled in, not allowing another run for the next three innings, despite having a runner on in each of the five innings he pitched. Speaking of Rumfield, this dude is on fire! He extended his on-base streak to 19 games, which is the second-best in Rockies history. In the fifth inning, Connor Norby singled, Goodman drew a walk, and Rumfield came up big again with his second run-scoring hit, cutting San Diego’s lead to 6-2. The Rockies fought back hard after that early deficit, making it an 8-7 game, but Miller’s shutdown performance just sealed their fate. Manager Schaeffer summed it up, “We have lost a lot of tight games this year. The next step is to start winning the one-run games and that happens throughout the game. There’s moments in the first inning, there’s moments in the ninth inning, and every inning in between where we can improve. But we are right there. It’s just a matter of time before we start winning those one-run games.” You gotta wonder when “a matter of time” actually hits for Colorado, especially against San Diego. They need to figure out how to close these out, and fast, if they want to break this brutal eight-game skid.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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