Hunter Goodman hit his 26th homer of the season, setting the new all-time Rockies record for most homers before July 1, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a brutal outing from the Colorado bullpen as the Rockies dropped the first game of the series to the Marlins on Monday night.
Goodman’s solo shot in the seventh increased the catcher’s June total to 12 homers. He will now try to break Todd Helton’s Rockies record of 27 home runs before the All-Star Break. Despite the loss, Goodman continued to prove he should be an All-Star (and participate in the Home Run Derby, too).
“Goody just keeps going. He’s a great player, and he’s having a heck of a first half,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Twenty-six homers before the All-Star Break is a rare accomplishment … He is a force at the plate.”
Victor Vodnik gave up a three-run homer that squandered the Rockies lead in the fifth inning (two runs were charged to starter Sean Sullivan). Vodnik took the loss, but it was the four runs that Antonio Senzatela allowed in the sixth that doomed the Rockies. It was Senzatela’s worst outing of an otherwise remarkable season where he’s posted an 8-0 record and 3.07 ERA in 44 innings over 25 appearances.
The Rockies tried to mount a ninth-inning rally when Eduardo Julien singled and Jake McCarthy doubled. Mickey Moniak hit a sac grounder to score Julien, but the lone run resulted in Colorado falling short.
Sullivan’s up-and-down start
Sean Sullivan’s fourth MLB start began well with three up and three down in the first, including a strikeout. The Marlins struck back in the second when Heriberto Hernández and Leonardo Jiménez doubled, while Kyle Stowers was hit by a pitch in between, to put Miami up 2-0.
After the Rockies claimed a 3-2 lead, Sullivan overcame a leadoff double in the third and a single in the fourth to maintain Colorado’s lead. Then came the fifth and the downward spiral.
Otto Lopez led off with a homer to trim Colorado’s lead to 5-3. Sullivan sandwiched two outs with a single and a walk to Stowers, which forced Schaeffer to end Sullivan’s night.
Schaeffer said Sullivan had some bright moments in the start, despite not getting ahead in enough counts.
“He got behind some, and when he got behind, he got hurt, but he battled through it. He got into the fifth inning to the third time through the order, and he gave us a chance to win,” Schaeffer said. “The walk to Stowers there was a big one in the fifth inning, but I thought he competed well, even though he wasn’t ahead in a lot of counts.”
He left the game with a young career-high five strikeouts, two walks, one HBP, six hits and three earned runs in 4.2 innings. However, those three runs jumped to five when the two runners he left on base came around to score in the next at-bat.
Bullpen blues
The Marlins attacked Vodnik from the jump as pitch-hitter Griffin Conine crushed his second pitch to the upper deck in right field and quickly flipped a 5-3 Colorado lead to a 6-5 Miami advantage. Vodnik ended the inning and posted a scoreless sixth, but the damage was done.
It got worse when Senzatela entered in the seventh and gave up a single, double and walk before Javier Sanoja hit a base-clearing triple to make it 9-6. Joe Mack followed with an infield single to give Miami double-digit scoring.
Schaeffer blamed one bad changeup that Vodnik left too high and also said Senzatela nearly escaped the jam.
“Senza was one pitch away from putting up a zero there,” he said. “Senza’s throwing the ball fine. He’s just going through a very, very small period here where they are getting some barrels against him. No wavering confidence in Senzatela at all. He’s still one of the best relievers in the league.”
Zach Agnos then came in, getting out of the seventh, and then closed the game with scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth.
On the board early
The Rockies jumped on Sandy Alcantara early, connecting for six hits, including three doubles, in the second and third innings to take a 5-2 lead. The second-inning rally started when TJ Rumfield hit a leadoff, first-pitch single to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.
Cole Carrigg followed with a single, and after Troy Johnson flied out, Kyle Karros singled to load the bases. Ezequiel Tovar hit a sac fly to put the Rockies on the board and cut Miami’s lead to 2-1. Julien followed with a walk and McCarthy took advantage with the first double of the night to put the Rockies up 3-2.
The Rockies added some cushion in the third when Goodman led off with a double and Rumfield joined him on base by drawing a walk. Carrigg hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners with one out, but then the Rockies took a risk that didn’t pay off.
Carrigg got caught between first and second trying to steal, but it also seemed like he slowed down after the ball was thrown. A pickle ensued, and Goodman tried to go home, but got thrown out.
“We were trying to steal a run there on a Cy Young pitcher, trying to extend the lead and it just didn’t go our way,” Schaeffer said.
Instantly, a promising rally seemed in jeopardy with just Carrigg at second with two outs. But the Rockies caught a break when Johnston got a free pass from Alcantara — one of five he issued on the night — and Karros doubled in Carrigg and Johnston to increase the Rockies lead to 5-2.
Moniak and Tovar combined to go 0-for-8 and never got on base, but each drove in a run. The Rockies only struck out five times, while the Rockies pitching staff combined to strike out six Marlins.
Up Next
The Rockies will host Miami for the second of four games on Tuesday night. RHP Tanner Gordon (0-1, 6.37 ERA), who returns to the roster after being placed on the 15-day IL on June 5 with a right hip impingement, will get the start for the Rockies. Eury Pérez (3-6, 4.41 ERA) will be on the bump for the Marlins.
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