Opening Week Grades: SoCal struggles swing 2-0 start into 4-game losing streak for the Colorado Rockies

Six games in Southern California is usually wrought with a lot of frustration, more losses than wins and an entire lineup of hitters slumping, yearning to get back home to the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.

Alas, it felt like a lot less frustration, less losses than normal and decent offensive production, on a whole.

Going 2-4 on the road is nothing to write home about. However, outside of a drubbing on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, the Colorado Rockies had a chance to win every game. That can be a rarity and that’s the silver lining with this opening road trip.

Starting Rotation: C-

José Ureña struggled to throw strikes. Ryan Feltner struck out a career-high seven hitters — including Mookie Betts his third time through the order — but got into one jam too many. Austin Gomber got beaten by two swings, but looked solid otherwise for six frames.

Germán Márquez had a vintage start on Opening Day, holding the San Diego Padres to two runs over six innings of work, striking out five while walking none. When the club was hoping to snap a three-game losing streak on Tuesday against the Dodgers in L.A. — a place Márquez had a career 2.49 ERA in eight starts — three home runs sank any chance of that happening. 

Kyle Freeland made the other impressive start from the first week, twirling six shutout innings, surrendering just three hits while walking one and striking out one. As if that wasn’t enough, he made a Jeter-esque play. How he wasn’t awarded with the Play of the Week is still surprising.

How did Kyle Freeland make this play!?!? 🤯

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/vMoC0YTtik

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 1, 2023

Bright Spot: Freeland – 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Bad Spot: Ureña – 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 HR, 4 BB, 0 K

Bullpen: B-

The Padres series made the Rockies bullpen look like the force they have the potential to be in 2023. Then the first game in Los Angeles skewed the statistics drastically.

Jake Bird was put in the unenviable position of facing J.D. Martinez on Monday with the bases loaded and two outs in what was his third appearance on the mound in five days. Three straight base hits made it 7-4 before the Dodgers tacked on two more runs against Bird. Connor Seabold made his Rockies debut and did his job in getting some length, three innings, despite giving up four runs.

Justin Lawrence (2 IP) and Brent Suter (3 IP) were the incredibly bright spots, posting 0.00 earned run averages. Pierce Johnson was credited with his first career save on Friday, then gave up a run while strikeout out three over an inning against the Dodgers.

Ty Blach was fine (3 IP, 2 R) in long relief when Ureña couldn’t finish the third inning. Brad Hand gave up an inconsequential run during a 4-1 win on Friday for his Rockies debut. Dinelson Lamet gave up two runs in the eighth with his team already trailing 6-4 on Saturday.

Bright Spot: Brent Suter – 2 G, 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Bad Spot: Jake Bird – 3 G, 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K

Starting Lineup: C-

As we figure out how to do these grades, just know that there were a few entries of A+ that were brought down by far too many D’s. 

Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron batted two-three-four in the lineup each of the first five games, combined to go 20-for-47 (.426) with five doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, four walks and eight strikeouts through the first four games. (Then the Dodgers happened. Monday’s 13-4 loss saw the trio going 1-for-12 before the trio went 3-for-9 during the 5-2 loss on Tuesday.)

Despite cooling down over the final two games of the trip, Cron earned the National League Player of the Week Award for his outstanding performances in San Diego.

Ryan McMahon recorded three doubles and a home run for his four hits. Elehuris Montero also homered, but he struck out nine times in his first 18 plate appearance, including the team’s first automatic strike three (he called timeout for a second time during an at-bat, which is not allowed).

The rest of the lineup was not terribly productive. The 7th, 8th and 9th spots in the order had a slash line of .182/.224/.236 over 58 plate appearances during the first five games before a 1-for-8 performance on Tuesday.

Jurickson Profar finally arrived on Saturday night following a late, but expedited Spring Training, and has been a fixture at the leadoff spot with Yonathan Daza dropping in the batting order. The two have a similar on-base percentage during their careers, but Profar has a lot more power, something that the Rockies haven’t had since Blackmon gave up leadoff duties after 2019. Both Profar and Daza have yet to find their groove at the plate. 

Elias Díaz struck out more than normal, but he’s had to start five of the six games so far while entering to catch the final inning during his one off-day on the road trip. 

Bright Spot: C.J. Cron – 6 G, .304 (7-for-23 ), 3 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI

Bad Spot: Jurickson Profar – 3 G, .091 (1-for-11), 1 BB, 2 K, 1 GIDP

Bench: C-

Colorado proposed their own version of load management early in the season, especially when they’re home in Denver, and we’ve already seen a nice rotation between Bryant, Blackmon, Cron and Montero. Everyone besides the Cron has either had a day of rest or received a half-day as the DH. While we’ve seen some of the bench in action — they’ve all made at least one start — it’s been limited.

Alan Trejo didn’t get his first start of the season until game five, settling for a role as a late-inning defensive replacement twice at third base before riding the pine the next two games. He went 2-for-3 with a double in that first start, allowing the scuffling Ezequiel Tovar a day to reset. 

Harold Castro played a lot more than expected while the team awaited the late arrival of Profar, and Mike Moustakas looked like a polished veteran taking a base on balls on his first two plate appearances in purple. Brian Serven went 1-for-2 in his only action so far. He did well handling Gomber on Sunday and getting him past one rough inning. 

Bright Spot: Alan Trejo – .333 (2-for-6), 2B