One step forward was followed by two big steps back for the Rockies after the All-Star break.
After rallying for a 6-5 win over the Orioles on Friday at Camden Yards to start the first road trip of the second half, Colorado got pummeled 18-0 on Saturday and then lost 5-1 on Sunday to drop the series.
The pair of weekend defeats sank the Rockies to 27-78. Colorado is on track to go 42-120, which would narrowly avoid the distinction of being the worst team in modern baseball history, set by the 121-loss White Sox last year.
“It’s disappointing every time we lose a series,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters. “But we’ve won two out of three series now to start the second half, so we’re looking to go into Cleveland now and get us another series.”
On Friday, the Rockies carried over the momentum from their 4-2 homestand that featured the first two series wins at Coors Field this season. Things were looking up as Colorado looked like a competitive club for an extended stretch for the first time in ’25.
That upward trajectory continued in the series opener, when the Rockies erased an early 4-0 deficit and had an array of offensive bright spots in a season that’s been short on such moments.
Mickey Moniak, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick by the Phillies, whom the Rockies took a one-year flier on, continued to look like a guy who Colorado should consider holding on to when he homered Friday to spark the Rockies’ rally.
Thairo Estrada followed with a two-run homer, all-star catcher Hunter Goodman had an RBI double to tie the game, and in the sixth, Ezequiel Tovar’s solo homer put the Rockies ahead for good as the back end of the bullpen shut down Baltimore.
But those vibes quickly dissipated on Saturday, when Baltimore pummeled Colorado 18-0.
The Rockies only mustered two hits, one of which was by rookie Warming Bernabel. The third baseman was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day to make his MLB debut after Ryan McMahon was traded to the Yankees on Friday.
In the annihilation that ended with utilityman Kyle Farmer pitching the eighth, Antonio Senzatela got lit up again. His ERA stands at 6.68, and opponents are hitting .350 against him. He’s one of just six pitchers to allow an average over .340 with 20 or more starts since the turn of the century.
The Orioles tagged Senzatela for six runs over four innings with two homers, then the bullpen fared even worse. In all, it was the club’s second-worst loss of a historically futile season, behind a 21-0 blowout at the hands of the Padres on May 10 at Coors Field.
On Sunday, Austin Gomber took the mound to try to get the Rockies their third road series win this season, and fifth overall. The Rockies gave the southpaw an early lead when Bernabel launched his first career homer 385 feet to left off Tomoyuki Sugano in the second inning.
But that was all the run production Colorado could muster. The Rockies, who have lacked the ability to hit in the clutch all season, were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight men on base.
Gomber, meanwhile, wasn’t sharp. He allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings with three walks and a two-run homer in the third by Tyler O’Neill that gave the Orioles a 4-1 cushion.
In the eighth, Baltimore added another run off a couple of Colorado miscues. Gunnar Henderson got to second on a throwing error by Ezequiel Tovar, then Henderson scored from second on a wild pitch by Jaden Hill. The right-hander failed to cover home as Henderson raced around third to score easily.
Monday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (1-2, 8.67 ERA) at Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.76)
4:40 p.m. Monday, Progressive Field
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
Trending: The Rockies continue to lean into their youth movement. With third baseman Warming Bernabel’s debut on Saturday, Colorado’s had 10 debuts this season, the fourth-most in MLB behind the Athletics (13), White Sox (11) and Marlins (11).
Pitching probables
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (2-2, 3.13) at Guardians LHP Logan Allen (6-9, 4.16), 4:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-10, 5.24) at Guardians TBD, 4:40 p.m.
— Kyle Newman, The Denver Post
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
