Hunter Goodman hit a three-run bomb in the opening inning, then the Rockies went back to their bad business as usual.
Colorado fell to Atlanta 6-3 in the series opener on Monday at Coors Field, squandering the early lead gifted by Goodman in a seventh straight defeat. It dropped the Rockies’ record to 4-24 as they continued their historically bad pace. The Rockies joined the 2003 Tigers, 1988 Orioles and 1936 Browns as the only teams since 1901 to lose at least 24 of their first 28 games.
Right-hander Ryan Feltner gave up five runs on 10 hits in four-plus innings of work, and the bats went flat following Goodman’s homer.
Feltner wasn’t sharp, and acknowledged his fastball was subpar as he was still dealing with the effects of back spasms that delayed his start from Sunday to Monday. But Feltner was also hindered by a pair of swinging bunts and a well-placed Texas leaguer that allowed Atlanta to rally.
“I was battling (my back) going in,” said Feltner, whose fastball averaged 92.8 mph. “My fastball lost a little juice today for sure, because that was the pitch that I really need the last little bit of extension on, and I just didn’t have it.”
On a chilly night in front of a sparse crowd of 18,852 — many of whom were clad in red — Atlanta got on the board in the second via Alex Verdugo’s RBI single and then Marcell Ozuna’s sacrifice fly to cut the score to 3-2.
Then, with two outs in the fourth, the baseball gods belittled the Rockies.
Eli White had a swinging bunt down the third-base line, and the next batter, Nick Allen, followed with a swinging bunt down the first-base line. The two infield singles traveled a combined seven feet, but extended the inning and resulted in an RBI for Allen on a play that scored Michael Harris II to tie the game.
“There were some paper cuts there,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.
In the fifth, as Atlanta right-hander Bryce Elder continued to cruise following his first-inning blemish, Harris’ two-out, two-run double gave the Braves a 5-3 lead and ended Feltner’s night. Harris’ hit was preceded by a skied pop-up single by Ozzie Albies, as the ball fell in a Bermuda triangle in shallow left-center between shortstop Alan Trejo, left fielder Jordan Beck and center fielder Brenton Doyle.
“The back-breaker was the hit by Harris,” Black said. “… I thought overall, it was a gusty effort and (Feltner) battled.”
Feltner wasn’t confident in his fastball to Harris in that final at-bat, and on the eighth pitch, the center fielder drilled Feltner’s curveball. Feltner only threw one heater to Harris during the at-bat.
“I probably threw too many soft pitches to him, and I left the curveball up in the zone and he put a pretty good swing on it,” said Feltner, who expects to make his next start. “It was a bad pitch when I needed to make a good one.”
Atlanta added on in the seventh with a two-out RBI single by Sean Murphy off right-hander Angel Chivilli, scoring Matt Olson after Olson walked a couple of batters prior.
Colorado had an opening to get back in the game in the eighth with runners at first and second and no outs against right-hander Daysbel Hernández. But the reliever induced three straight outs to get out of the jam, including striking out Michael Toglia and getting Mickey Moniak to line out.
“We got a couple opportunities for a hit to get us closer, and we didn’t do it,” Black said. “That’s the big picture of this month that’s been the frustrating part, is the lack of the big hit when we do get a little bit of something going.”
The Rockies finished the night 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, with the lone hit being Goodman’s homer. The closest Colorado came to scoring following the first inning was when Trejo doubled to left in the fourth, a ball that hit off the yellow line atop the fence and careened back into play.
“We’re taking some bigger swings from some lesser service-time players when it gets a little critical,” Black said. “These are learning moments for young players. When the pressure gets a little higher, they seem to try a little bit harder, the swing gets a little big longer. … Hopefully over time, and hopefully quickly, (that changes).”
Amid a 15th loss in 16 games for just the second time in franchise history, one bright spot for Colorado from Monday’s loss was Jake Bird. The right-hander entered the day with a 1.08 ERA, third-best among National League relievers, and dropped his ERA to 1.02 after working around two hits in a scoreless eighth inning.
Injury updates: Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has been on the shelf longer than the Rockies hoped after the Gold Glover went on the 10-day injured list with a left hip contusion on April 16. Manager Bud Black said it could be another week to 10 days before he’s back on the diamond. A rehab stint in the minors is likely required. … Second baseman Thairo Estrada, who has yet to make his Rockies debut after breaking his wrist late in spring training after getting hit with a pitch, is progressing. He took infield ahead of Monday’s series opener, and Black said he’s lightly swinging and is getting closer “to more intense baseball activity.” …. Often-injured DH Kris Bryant has been on the 10-day injured list since April 13 with lumbar degenerative disc disease. Bryant saw a doctor in Los Angeles on Monday for a re-examination. … Southpaw Austin Gomber is “getting real close to picking up a baseball,” Black said. There is still no timeline for his return and he’ll need a minor-league ramp-up before making his 2025 Rockies debut.