The Rockies are on pace to go 35-127. That would be the worst record in modern major league history.
Too early to make such a dire forecast? Yeah, probably, considering just one-fifth of the season is in the books. But the Rockies are a bad baseball team playing bad baseball.
They lost 9-3 to the Giants on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park, leaving the Rockies with a 6-28 record (2-17 on the road). The Rockies won the first game of the four-game series, snapping a 13-game road losing streak, but then lost the next three games.
Colorado’s upcoming schedule spells more trouble. Over its next 25 games, it will play only one team — the Rangers (17-18) — with a losing record. Detroit (22-13), owner of the best record in the American League and touting one of baseball’s premier starting rotations, comes to Coors Field on Tuesday to open a three-game set.
On Sunday, San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames played like Adonis, going 3 for 5 with two solo homers and an RBI double. Starter Logan Webb dominated Colorado, as he usually does, allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks over seven innings.
The Giants improved to 30-6 vs. the Rockies at Oracle since the beginning of the 2021 season — the best home record by any team vs. a divisional opponent since 2021. Over those 36 games, San Francisco has outscored Colorado, 208-100, a ridiculous margin of plus-108.
Win or lose, the Rockies wanted veteran starter German Marquez back on track. The right-hander entered Sunday with an 0-5 record and a 9.82 ERA. Marquez took baby steps in the right direction — showing better pitch command — even if his line didn’t show it. Over 4 1/3 innings, he gave up five runs on six hits. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
Adames launched solo homers off Marquez in the first and third, giving the Giants an early 2-0 lead. Marquez’s undoing was San Francisco’s three-run fourth; the killer blows were a two-run bloop single by Mike Yastrzemski, followed by Adames’ run-scoring double.
Webb had no problems with the Rockies. In 17 career games (16 starts) against them, Webb is 9-3 with a 3.09 ERA. Against the Rockies at Oracle, he improved to 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA.
In the fifth, the Rockies had a small window of opportunity to get to Webb, but it closed quickly. They got on the board with a leadoff triple by Mickey Moniak, followed by an RBI single by Jacob Stallings. Alan Trejo reached on a fielder’s choice/error by Webb, but the rally died when slumping center fielder Brenton Doyle grounded into a double play and Webb struck out Jordan Beck.
Doyle, hitting .224, was 0 for 5 with a strikeout. The center fielder has gone 4-for-19 (.211) with one double and one home run over his last five games.
San Francisco’s four-run seventh off struggling right-hander Tyler Kinley (6.92 ERA) buried Colorado.
A ray of optimism was Ryan McMahon’s 2-for-4 day, including an RBI triple in Colorado’s two-run eighth. The third baseman entered the series mired in the worst slump of his career.
Pitching probables
Monday: Off day
Tuesday: Tigers RHP Jackson Jobe (2-0, 3.88 ERA) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-3, 6.48), 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Tigers RHP Casey Mize (5-1, 2.70) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-4, 5.70), 6:40 p.m.
Thursday: Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.21) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-5, 5.50), 1:10 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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