DENVER — It was an abysmal night from beginning to end for the Colorado Rockies, suffering a 10-1 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays after a two-hour rain delay already had most in attendance looking for the exits early.
Fans would steadily pour out of the stadium starting in the third inning, a frame that saw the Rays put five runs on Rockies’ starter Tyler Chatwood, extending their lead to 6-0.
It was easily the worst start of the season for Chatwood who has otherwise been stellar. He couldn’t get an out in the fourth and was ultimately charged for one more run, bringing his grand total to seven. He gave up eight hits in just three innings, the biggest blow coming off the bat of Evan Longoria who launched a missile over the left field fence that hasn’t landed yet.
Longoria has been hot lately. It was his 22nd home run of the season and his two-hit night brought his average to .290. Ex-Rockie Corey Dickerson has struggled since leaving the Mile High City but he excelled in his first start back at his old stomping grounds, grabbing three hits, one RBI, and scoring twice.
Chatwood couldn’t command his pitches to the edges and was catching too much of the strike zone. He didn’t give up many cheap hits despite some being on the ground, and he wasn’t missing barrels with any kind of consistency. It was a bad outing, but not necessarily one that should be especially concerning.
The Rays young lefty Blake Snell, on the other hand, was positively splendid in just the sixth start of his Major League career. He worked some wicked off-speed stuff to both sides of the plate and managed to stay out of the middle. Some of the numbers can be blamed on an overly aggressive Rockies lineup, but any pitcher who can toss six innings and give up just one hit while striking out nine at Coors Field deserves a tip-of-the-cap.
Jordan Lyles pitched more than admirably in relief, coming in and giving his team four innings of run-free baseball. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. He’s quietly been pretty good since taking over as the long-man in the bullpen.
Jake McGee pitched a clean inning but Gonzalez Germen was tagged for three runs on two hits including a long home run by Steve Pearce. So, the bullpen didn’t have a clean night either.
Rockies fans who waited through a two-hour rain delay and a godawful performance by the home team through eight innings and one out got a special little treat courtesy of Trevor Story who sent a Matt Andriese pitch into Five Points, which is well past the centerfield fence. Story did not make an out in the game, going 2-for-2 and drawing two walks.
DJ LeMahieu drew one walk, and Charlie Blackmon grabbed two hits, including a double … and that was the entire rest of the Rockies offensive production on the evening.
The blast was Story’s 23rd home run of the season … which is stupid. He is now — on July 20th — just one dinger shy of the 24 that Troy Tulowitzki hit in his outstanding rookie season in Colorado.
For the approximately 87 people who stayed to see the end of the game, it may be the only one they get to all year. Story didn’t just keep the Rockies from suffering their first home shutout of the year, he gave each of those fans something to remember … now they, too, are a part of the Story.
Lasting Impact
There is no lasting impact from a game like that. One team has to shower it off, the other has to forget it immediately because it’s just unlikely to reoccur. The Rockies did not hit. They did not get starting pitching. And because of Germen, the bullpen got dinged up a little as well. Just an all-around bad night.
What’s Next
Having split the first two games of the series, both the Rays and the Rockies will be looking for a series win this afternoon at Coors Field. Chris Archer takes on Jorge De La Rosa. First pitch at 1:10 MST.
