The work done by the Rockies pitchers while in peril was admirable, but how they got there was the problem and they couldn’t escape enough times to scratch out a victory.
Chicago couldn’t find a knockout punch Saturday night, but Kyle Tucker’s run-scoring single in the top of the sixth inning was the difference in a 4-3 win for the Cubs in front of a sellout crowd of 47,394 at Coors Field.
The Cubs have now won all five games against the Rockies in 2025, and will go for the season sweep Sunday afternoon. Chicago collected 16 baserunners — nine hits, five walks and two hit batsmen — and loaded the bases four times.
McKade Brown grinded through his second career start for the Rockies. Brown got into trouble in the top of the first inning, loading the bases with just one out. He got out of it with a single run allowed on a sacrifice fly from Nico Hoerner before freezing Pete Crow-Armstrong with a two-strike curveball to end the threat.
He put three Cubs on the bases in the second inning, including back-to-back hit-by-pitches that elicited loud boos from the blue-clad patrons, but Seiya Suzuki’s comebacker hit Brown and he was able to scoop it up and get the third out.
The Rockies evened the score in the bottom of the second on a controversial play. Yanqiuel Fernandez singled to advance Warming Bernabel to third, but got caught in a rundown when the throw from the outfield was cut off. Bernabel eventually broke for home and scored, but Fernandez had collided with Nico Hoerner just as he was about to throw home. Cubs manager Craig Counsell bolted out of the dugout to argue there was interference, but none was called.
Brown’s night ended before he could record an out in the fifth, and his penchant for putting guys on base finally caught up to him. Ian Happ’s double scored Tucker to put Chicago ahead. Jimmy Herget did fine work in relief to avoid an ugly inning, but Carson Kelly’s sacrifice fly pushed the Cubs’ lead to 3-1.
Brown’s final line: Four-plus innings with three runs on five hits, three walks and two hit batsmen. He’s now allowed six earned runs in 7 2/3 innings in his first two big-league starts.
Herget’s second inning didn’t go as well, but again the Cubs only scratched out one run despite a leadoff triple and then their fourth bases loaded situation.
Chicago starter Javier Assad was cruising until Mickey Moniak tripled home Tyler Freeman and scored on a sac fly, cutting the visitors’ lead to 4-3. The Cubs bullpen cruised through three scoreless innings to preserve Assad’s first victory of the season.
Bernabel, who fouled a pitch off his left leg before singling and scoring in the second inning, left the game after the third officially with a bruise on his knee and quad. Orlando Arcia replaced him.
This was the second-largest crowd of the season at Coors, topped only by the home opener against the Athletics (48,015).
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