Colorado drops fourth straight as offense, bullpen falter again
The rain finally stopped on Tuesday night long enough for the return of baseball at Coors Field.
But the storm hovering over this disastrous Rockies season just keeps growing.
The San Diego Padres strolled to an 8-1 victory with Colorado’s most glaring issues — lackluster offense and an imploding bullpen — once again at the forefront. Starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela, back from the 10-day injured list (groin), threw four shutout innings before Colorado’s unraveling.
The Rockies (12-23) return to Coors Field on Wednesday for a double-header against San Diego (20-16) with the first game at 1:10 p.m. Colorado will aim to snap a six-game losing streak against the
Padres.
On Tuesday, one night after getting rained out, the teams returned to a cold and soggy stadium with a first-pitch temperature of 43 degrees and 76% humidity. San Diego lacked star power, too, after news that enigmatic shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. tested positive for coronavirus.
The Rockies established a first
inning lead with small-ball perfection.
Leadoff man Raimel Tapia walked on six pitches and later stole second.
Garrett Hampson flied out, moving Tapia to third, and a Charlie Blackmon groundout brought Tapia home for an early 1-0 advantage.
But Colorado struggled to produce offense with just one hit — catcher Dom Nunez’s double — over four innings.
Rookie first baseman Connor Joe broke through with a leadoff single in the fifth for his first career hit at Coors Field. Colorado failed to capitalize, though, as five different San Diego pitchers stymied its lineup.
Senzatela, in his seventh start this season, retired nine of the first 11 Padres he faced.
Things got tense in the fourth as Senzatela loaded the bases with two outs. But he fanned shortstop Ha-Seong Kim — one of four Senzatela Ks on the night — and closed the side with a triumphant fist pump.
Senzatela’s otherwise impressive night hit a thud in the fifth when Padres shortstop Manny Machado blasted a two-out homer that scored infielder Jake Cronenworth to go up 2-1.
Senzatela opened the sixth inning with a walk and single before getting pulled. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits for an ERA of 5.97. Senzatela’s record drops to 1-4.
The Rockies turned to Tyler Kinley in relief and San Diego scored on a sacrifice fly and fielder’s choice.
Then Kinley walked two Padres to load the bases and Machado blasted a deep triple off the center wall. Colorado pulled Kinley after just M of an inning of work.
San Diego’s six runs in the sixth inning sealed its victory. The Rockies have now lost four consecutive games.