Colorado Rockies Season Update #1

After finishing with the most wins in the Cactus League this year, the Rockies came into the season with the hope of moving forward from their first 100-loss season in franchise history. However, after the Opening Day pregame hype, the Rockies were brought back down to reality in just three innings.

Rockies @ D-Backs March 28-31: D-Backs Win Series 3-1 RD -18

The Diamondbacks jumped on the Rockies ace Kyle Freeland early with a Gurriel 2-run home run in the first, but the Rockies answered right back with two doubles by Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers to make it a 2-1 game after two innings. Heading into the bottom of the third, Freeland had already struck out two and rolled a 6-4-3 double play leading to the 9-hole leading off the 3rd. In the third, the D-Backs had seven straight baserunners before the Rockies recorded an out. An Alek Thomas RBI double was the last batter of Freeland’s 3rd Opening Day start. Anthony Molina came in to pitch in his first ever MLB game, but it was one to forget. The next six batters got on before Eugenio Suárez hit a sac fly to make it 15-1. Molina gave up one more RBI single before Jalen Beeks came in to finish off the 14-run D-Backs inning. The D-Backs and the Rockies would each have only two more hits to end the historic night for Arizona with a final score of 16-1. The Rockies would fall in game two as well with a final score of 7-3. Elias Diaz would hit the Rockies first home run of the year and Charlie Blackmon hit an RBI triple in this game, but that was it. In game #3 the Rockies bats lifted them to their first win of the season beating Arizona 9-4. Both Tovar and Doyle hit their first homers of the year, and the game winning RBI came off of a Nolan Jones triple. Peter Lambert would get the win out of the bullpen. The win streak would stop before it got started with a 5-1 loss to end the first series of the year. The Diamondbacks scored the first run in every game, including in every first inning.

Rockies Top Performer: Ryan McMahon 6-14, 2 RBI, 2 2B, and a .429 AVG with a .471 OBP.

Rockies Worst Performer: Kris Bryant 0-10, 1 BB, 6 SO, and a .000 AVG with a .167 OBP.

Rockies @ Cubs April 1-3 Cubs Sweep Series 3-0 RD -16

Dakota Hudson got his first Rockies start in Chicago, and he was looking good through five innings, only giving up one hit. Once the sixth inning started, things started to go downhill. Hudson gave up a pair of singles before getting Cody Bellinger to flyout. Christopher Morel stepped to the dish and hit a first pitch slider to Jones in left field. The Cubs were about to have loaded bases with one out for Dansby Swanson, but Jones forgot to put his glove down to field the ball. The sophomore completely missed the ball, and it rolled all the way to the wall to score everyone, including Morel. The Rockies ended up being shut out for the first time in 2024 with a final score of 5-0. Hudson got the loss without giving up an earned run. The only highlight of game #6 was a Michael Toglia 2-run home run in the seventh inning leading to a 12-2 final score. Game #5 ended up being a lot closer towards the end of the game, and it included Kris Bryant’s first hit of the season on an RBI single. After being down 5-0 through five, and 8-2 through six, the game seemed lost, but the Rockies offense woke up and scored six straight runs to tie the game after their half of the 8th. In the bottom half of the inning, Miles Mastrobuoni struck out on a wild pitch which allowed him to get to first. Mastrobuoni ended up scoring the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice with a close play at the plate. There’s nothing like scoring the winning run when you struck out a few batters before. Final score, 9-8.

Rockies Top Performer: Charlie Blackmon 7-13, 2 2B, 2 RBI, and a .538 AVG.

Rockies Worst Performer: Nolan Jones 1-13, 6 SO, and a .076 AVG with 2 fielding errors.

After a rough road trip to start the year, the Rockies were hoping to find the win column with a return to Coors Field. 

Rays @ Rockies April 5-7 Rays Win Series 2-1 RD 0

This game seemed like it was going to be a tight and high scoring game with both teams scoring in the first, and the Rays taking the lead 2-1 in the second. In the sixth inning, the Rockies would take their first lead in six days with a three-run sixth and Tovar’s second home run of the season. The Rockies would add two more with Kris Bryant’s first of the year to extend the lead to 6-2. The Rockies had their closer Justin Lawrence come in to close out the Rox second win of the year, but he couldn’t find a way to put it away. Four straight hits began the ninth, followed by a groundout, a single, and a sac bunt before a McMahon throwing error gave up the go-ahead run. The Rockies had their 1-2-3 coming up to lead off the bottom half of the ninth inning. All three batters walked to load them up for Bryant who struck out on three pitches and walked back to the dugout with 48,000 fans booing. McMahon’s error led to the Rays leading run, and now he had a chance to make up for it. The very first pitch he saw was a sweeper right in his nitro zone, and he gave the fans a walk-off grand slam for the Rockies second win of the season, and their first at home. Game #9 started with a first inning run for Tampa, but McMahon answered back in the second with his second straight AB with a home run to join an exclusive group of Rockies who hit a walk-off home run, followed by a home run in their next AB. Toglia would hit his second home run of the season to extend the lead to 4-1 in the fourth, and Doyle hit his second of the season to make it 6-1. That would be the last Rockies run, as Tampa would score seven straight runs against the bullpen to take an 8-6 win. Feltner’s gem of a start was wasted, even though he joined Ubaldo Jimenez (‘07) and German Marquez (‘19) as the only Rockies pitchers to strike out 10 or more and give up less than 2 hits in a game. The final game of the series with the Rays ended with a final score of 3-2, and was a case of too little, too late. An 8th inning Diaz single followed a Jake Cave triple to put up a run, and a 9th inning Doyle single scored Jones who led the inning off with a walk.

Rockies Top Performer: Elias Dias 5-10, 3 RBI, and a .500 AVG. 

Rockies Worst Performer: Justin Lawrence 1.2 IP, 6 H, 30.00 ERA.

Diamondbacks @ Rockies April 8-10 D-Backs Win Series 2-1 RD -1

The Rockies played Arizona for the second time this season, and they were able to take game #11, 7-5, after being down 4-1 in the middle of the fourth. Lambert picked up his second win of the year, and Blackmon hit his first home run of the season to go along with a triple. Game #12 was another version of battling upwards after a leadoff homer for Corbin Caroll that began a two-run first for Arizona. The Rockies cut the deficit to one with an RBI groundout by McMahon in the first, but former Rockie Randal Grichuk hit a solo shot to make it 3-1 after two. The Rockies got one more in the sixth, but they couldn't find a way to tie it. Final score 3-2. Game #13 started off similarly to many other games this year with each team scoring one in the first. Arizona again took the lead with a solo shot in the second, this time by Blaze Alexander. Rockies Michael Toglia hit his team leading third home run to give the Rox a 3-2 lead after four, but the D-Backs tied it in the 7th, then took the lead with two in the ninth. The Rockies tried to tie it back up, but left them loaded to end the game. Final score 5-3.

Rockies Top Performer: Charlie Blackmon 3-7, 3 R, 2 XBH, 3 BB, and a .428 AVG with a .600 OBP.

Rockies Worst Performer: Nolan Jones 1-12, 7 SO, and a .083 AVG.

The Rockies through the first two weeks of baseball gives them a 3-10 record with a run differential of -35 which sits at the bottom of the MLB along with their runs against with 89, 22 more than the second worst pitching staff. When it comes to the hitting, Ryan McMahon is currently third in the MLB with a .383 AVG, and Nolan Jones is third in strikeouts with 23. Kris Bryant like Nolan Jones has had a slow start to the season, and that reflects with a 4-40 and a -0.4 WAR. As a team, the Rockies are 13th in batting average, 15th in OPS, T-8 with 12 home runs, 1st in triples, 5th in SO, T-14 in walks, 30th in ERA, 28th in pitching SO, 30th in WHIP, and 30th in BAA with .297. It's going to be a very long season for the Rockies, but Rockies Now will be here for it. From the high of a walk off grand slam, to the low of giving up 14 runs in an inning, we'll be here. The Rockies will be in Toronto for three, before heading to Philly for three. They return to Coors for a three-game set with Seattle, followed by a four-game series with the division rival Padres.