Given that their offense has yet to awaken from its long winter’s nap, and given that the Dodgers own them, the Rockies desperately needed a strong start from Ryan Feltner.
To have any chance.
They didn’t get it.
The right-hander struggled with his command, and the Dodgers made him pay en route to a 6-2 win Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Feltner walked six batters, tying a career high, in only 2 2/3 innings, and was charged with five runs.
“Our starter had a tough day, for sure,” manager Bud Black told reporters at Dodger Stadium. “Anytime your starting pitcher walks six guys, it’s not a good thing.
“Part of last year and early this year, Feltner was pounding the strike zone. Tonight was, hopefully, just an aberration and he can (put) it back together his next start.”
Feltner entered the game with a 2.95 ERA since June 26 of last season, ranking as the ninth-best ERA in the National League across that span. But his fastball command was off-kilter Tuesday night. He needed 81 pitches (just 46 strikes) to record eight outs.
The Rockies, off to the worst start in franchise history with a 3-14 record, lost for the fifth straight time on their six-game road trip to the West Coast.
How dominant has Big Blue been against Colorado? Since June 2022, L.A. has beaten Colorado 32 times in the last 42 games.
The Rockies’ inability to get clutch hits continues to haunt them. They entered Tuesday’s game hitting .189 with runners in scoring position, ranking 28th in the majors. That average got worse after they finished 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
Catcher Jacob Stallings hit a two-out, two-run double in the fourth off starter Landon Knack for all of Colorado’s runs.
“This is tough for the team,” Black said. “With this situation early in the year, everything is magnified. We want to win more games. We have some things in perspective about where we are with our group. But the expectation of every major league team is to win tonight’s game.”
Asked how he “keep things loose,” as the Rockies continue losing, Black said, “As coaches, we support, we teach. We lead them, we help them. We’ve got a lot of young players … in the bullpen and our starting lineup.
“So, just keep teaching and let them grow. There is going to be a school of hard knocks for a while until these guys gain experience and figure out what it takes to get it done in the major leagues.”
Missed opportunities at the plate weren’t the only thing haunting Colorado; so did Feltner’s free passes.
Feltner walked Michael Conforto and Max Muncy in the second and Chris Taylor’s double-play groundout chased home Conforto to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers’ four-run third featured a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani and a one-out walk to Freddie Freeman, teeing up Will Smith’s three-run homer to left. A double to right by Tommy Edman, another walk to Muncy, and an RBI single by Taylor put L.A. ahead 5-0.
Colorado received strong relief work from Jake Bird, Scott Alexander and Jimmy Herget, but L.A. reached Seth Halvorsen for a run in the eighth on Freeman’s RBI single to score Ohtani.
The Rockies, 1-10 on the road, will try to avoid the three-game sweep Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Wednesday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (0-2, 4.60 ERA) at Dodgers TBA
8:10 p.m. Wednesday, Dodger Stadium
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: Marquez is looking to get right vs. the Dodgers as he climbs the Rockies’ pitching charts. The right-hander allowed a season-high six runs (five earned) on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in his last start. In 17 career starts against Los Angeles, he is 3-5 with a 3.75 ERA, 37 walks and 94 strikeouts. Marquez is four strikeouts shy of 1,000 for his career. He is already the Rockies’ all-time strikeouts leader with 996.
Pitching probables
Thursday: Off
Friday: Nationals LHP Mackenzie Gore (1-2, 3.52) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (1-1, 5.06), 6:40 p.m.