Chase Dollander got slammed, and the Rockies never quite recovered, despite a two-homer game from catcher Hunter Goodman.
And so the season-long Rox slide continued Tuesday night at Coors Field in front of an announced crowd of 30,303. The Astros won, 6-5, leaving Colorado with a 19-66 record.
Dollander, who had been pitching well of late, gave up a grand slam to Houston designated hitter Victor Caratini in the Astros’ five-run third inning that gave them a 6-1 lead. Colorado’s bullpen blanked Houston the rest of the way, but the damage had been done.
“The command, I don’t think, was there overall, specifically, his off-speed command,” manager Warren Schaeffer said of Dollander’s outing. “He hung that curveball to Caratini. That was the nail in the coffin there.”
Dolland, however, said he didn’t pitch that poorly, save for the hanging curveball that Caratini demolished.
“Except for that one pitch, I thought I was throwing pretty well throughout the game,” Dollander said. “That was a terrible pitch, bad location. I just have to be better.”
Home has been far from sweet for the Rockies, who are 8-33 at Coors, where they have been outscored 305-168.
The game got off to a stellar start for Colorado. Goodman, back in the lineup after missing four games because of tightness in his hamstring, crushed a first-pitch 91.7 mph fastball from Houston starter Colton Gordon to deep center. Goodman’s 15th homer of the season, measured at 431 feet, put the Rockies ahead, 1-0, in the first.
Goodman hit his 16th homer in the ninth, crushing closer Josh Hader’s first-pitch sinker 443 feet to left center, cutting Houston’s lead to 6-5. Jordan Beck followed with a single, but Hader struck out Thairo Estrada and Brenton Doyle to shut the door. It was Hader’s 24th save.
Goodman said he’s still a bit cautious running the bases, but said the hamstring doesn’t affect him behind the plate or when he’s up to bat. He was able to stay sharp during his absence from games.
“When we were in Milwaukee, I was still in the cage, trying to keep my swing going,” he said, referring to Colorado’s three-game series last weekend. “I was able to stay in a good rhythm and I think it helped, for sure.”
The Rockies outhit Houston, 12-9, and Jordan Beck had a career-high five hits. It wasn’t enough, in part because the Rockies were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
Colorado scored one run in the third on Estrada’s sacrifice fly, one run in the fourth on Tyler Freeman’s RBI double, and another run in the fifth on Doyle’s infield grounder down the first baseline, scoring Beck, who led off with a double.
Dollander’s lack of pitch command and his throwing error doomed him in the Astros’ five-run third. Maurico Dubon lined a one-out single to right and Issac Paredes drew a walk. Dollander’s wild pickoff throw to second allowed Dubon to take third. Dubon scored on Jake Meyers’ groundout.
Then Dollander walked Jose Altuve and gave up a single to Cam Smith, loading the bases for Caratini, who hit Dollander’s 1-2 curveball 413 feet to right.
Dollander, who is supposed to be Colorado’s ace of the future, continues to be hurt by homers. Carantini’s grand slam was the 15th home run Dollander has allowed in his 14 starts. Dollander entered the night giving up 2.73 home runs per nine innings, the highest rate in the majors. Also, his 16.06 base runners allowed per nine ranked as the third highest.
Dollander was gone after a mere 2 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his infant career. He was charged with six runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out one, and his ERA climbed to 6.65.
Caratini’s grand slam was the third of his career and his first since May 12, 2021, also at Coors Field when he played for San Diego.