Colorado Rockies morning after: 3 things to like from Rangers series sweep

As schools wind down for the year across the country, it’s final exam time. Here’s your pass-fail question for advancement:

What MLB team this season has matched the longest road losing streak in the Majors over the course of the last 10 years?

If your answer was the Colorado Rockies, based on the team’s well-publicized 4-22 record away from Coors Field thus far in 2021, I have some surprising news for you.

Believe it or not, the Colorado Rockies are not the right answer.

Actually, the correct response would be the Texas Rangers. Texas has a road losing streak of 15 games, albeit the Rockies have played a part in the Rangers achieving their dubious distinction.

So, did you pass the test?

Well, pass or fail, Colorado (23-34) completed a three-game sweep of Texas on Thursday afternoon with an 11-6 victory at Coors Field.

While extending the Rangers’ current losing streak to nine games and extending their road losing futility (matching the 15-game road losing streak of the Miami Marlins in 2019), the Rockies won their sixth consecutive home game (a season high) and fourth straight game overall (matches the season best).

In addition, the Rox have now gone 5-1-1 in their last seven home series since April 20. In compiling a 19-12 home mark, Colorado is 6-3-1 in series at Coors Field this season and has collected three series sweeps on the season (all at home).

In the series finale against Texas (22-36), which is now 9-23 on the road this season, Colorado’s bats came alive unleashing 16 hits—the team’s fifth game of the year with 15 or more hits.

Garrett Hampson, Charlie Blackmon, and Raimel Tapia combined for 10 hits with Hampson notching his second career four-hit game. Blackmon and Tapia chipped in three hits apiece with Tapia scoring three times and Blackmon driving in three runs. Brendan Rogers also knocked in three runs for the Rox.

On the hill, starter Austin Gomber tossed six shutout innings allowing just three hits with no walks while fanning six—his third outing this season with no walks and at least six strikeouts. He turned over a 9-0 lead to the Colorado bullpen, which completed the game although Jordan Sheffield was touched for a two-run home run in the seventh and Yency Almonte stumbled badly in surrendering four runs, including a two-run dinger, in completing the ninth inning.

Nonetheless, there were a lot of good things that happened during the series sweep of the Rangers. We have three of them.

1. Gomber continues a string of impressive outings

The left-hander turned in his fifth straight solid outing (2 wins, 1 loss, 2 no-decisions) with his scoreless outing Thursday against Texas.

Gomber, who came to the Rockies from St. Louis in the Nolan Arenado trade in February, has permitted just five runs in those appearances for an impressive 1.55 earned run average (29.1 IP, 5 ER).

His performance Thursday dropped his ERA at home this season to 1.33—the second-lowest ERA by a Rockies starting hurler in his first four home games with the team (ranks behind the 0.96 ERA of Julian Tavarez).

Gomber was also under the weather, as Bud Black told the media, including Rox Pile, after the game.

“Full disclosure, (he was) a little under the weather today,” said Black. “He has been fighting some sort of an intestinal bug the last three or four days (with some) vomiting and diarrhea leading up to (his) start and, in a way, we were worried a little bit.

“We sent him home yesterday (but) he assured us he would be fine. He was still a little weak when we got to the ballpark today but we felt good enough to run him out there. We talked before the game (so) he could let me know how he was doing so I’m really, really, proud of the effort (he gave us tonight).”