Colorado offense absent in shutout loss in Philadelphia
The Rockies’ 5- 0 loss to the Phillies was a quick, but hardly painless.
Phillies right- hander Ranger Suarez pitched a complete g ame shutout Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, taking 2 hours and 7 minutes. It was the fourth-shortest nine-inning game in the ball park’ s history.
Suarez scattered seven hits — all singles — struck out eight and walked one, whittling his ERA to 1.73. His sinker confounded the Rockies and induced 12 outs via groundballs. It was Suarez’s second shutout of his career.
Tuesday’s game was the second shutout in the majors this season. The other was thrown by Houston’s Ronel Blanco, who threw a no- hitter vs. the Blue Jays on April 2. Suarez pitched the Phillies’ first shutout since Michael Lorenzen’s no-hitter against the National son Aug .9 of last season.
The Rockies, meanwhile, have picked up right where they left off from their 103loss 2023 season. Their 4- 14 start to the season is their worst record through 18 games in franchise history.
“It’s tough,” Colorado manager Bud Black told reporters in Philadelphia. “We have a lot of young guys cutting their teeth as young players. … This is( about getting) experience hitting against major league pitchers. Our guys will benefit from it. We got a few hits, but we just couldn’t bunch them together.”
Two baserunning errors cost the Rockies and provided some help for Suarez, not that he needed it. In the sixth, second baseman Alan Trejo, getting a rare start as he filled in for the under- the- weather Brendan Rodgers, got hung up between third and home on Ryan Mcmahon’s in field single to short and Trejo was tagged out.
In the seventh, Elehuris Montero rocketed the ball off the left-field wall and tried to stretch the single into a double. Montero, however, was thrown out when Brandon Marsh played the ball perfectly and threw a strike to second baseman Bryson Stott, who tagged out Montero with room to spare.
Colorado lefty Austin Gomber deserved a better fate, something he shares with his rotation mates, who have been pitching well but getting virtually no run support from a Rockies offense floundering amid mounting strikeouts and poor at- bats. Colorado has scored just one run and has been s hut out twice in its last three games.
Gomber gave up three runs ( one earned) over 5 1/ 3 innings. He struck out four and walked none. But two misplaced curveballs cost him. J. T. Real mu to banged a two-run homer to center in the first, and Bryce Harper lifted an RBI double to left- center in the sixth to score Trea Turner.
“Realmuto is an All- Star and he took advantage of a hanging breaking b all, but ‘ Gomy’ pitched really well, he really did,” Black said. “He’s a pitcher that we know will compete every day, but our starter got outpitched by their guy.”
Philly added two runs in the eighth with Harper’ s two-run homer off struggling right-hand er Tyler Kinley, who has a 12.86 ERA.
One bright spot for Colorado has been the relief work of Victor Vodnik, who pitched 12/3 scoreless innings, walked none and struck out two.