Colorado Rockies morning after: 4 things to note about the Extreme Rockies

In recognition of the Extreme Makeover reality television series franchise, this year’s edition of the Colorado Rockies could be aptly labeled Extreme Rockies.

With the 2021 season nearly halfway complete, this year has been filled with several highs and many lows for Colorado. The team’s seven-game homestand with the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers that concluded Sunday demonstrated the opposite ends of the spectrum that the Colorado Rockies have experienced through their first 73 games.

And the highs and lows were both in Sundays’ game for the Rockies.

Despite a six-run sixth inning that featured four home runs to wipe out a 6-0 deficit, Colorado’s bullpen allowed the tie-breaking run in the top of the ninth inning in a 7-6 loss to the Brewers Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 34,224 at Coors Field.

The game marked the second straight contest in which relievers for the Rox (30-43) could not shut the door on the Brewers and led to a frustrating loss. On Saturday night, Milwaukee (40-32) tallied a pair of ninth-inning runs to rally for a 6-5 victory and snap a season-high five-game winning streak and six-game home winning streak for Colorado. The Rox are now 25-16 at Coors Field in 2021.

The Rockies had been victorious in the first five games of the homestand, including a three-game sweep of National League West rival San Diego. But, after capturing the first two games of a four-game set with the Brewers, the final-inning back-to-back setbacks to Milwaukee were bitter pills to swallow, particularly as the team prepares to embark on a five-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Seattle.

On Sunday, Colorado’s bats were silent with just two hits in the first five innings. But in the sixth inning, the Rockies crossed the plate six times, getting eight of their 12 hits in the game, during the frame.

After a leadoff single by Raimel Tapia, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games—the longest such streak for a Rockie since Charlie Blackmon hit safely in 17 consecutive games in 2018—Yonathan Daza cracked a two-run home run off Brewers starter Eric Lauer. Trevor Story then followed with a solo blast, his sixth of the season, to end Lauer’s day. But the Rockies’ onslaught continued against Milwaukee reliever Zack Godley.

A Blackmon single preceded a two-run blast by CJ Cron, his ninth roundtripper of the year. After an out, Joshua Fuentes cracked his sixth homer of the year, a solo blast, to knot the game at 6-6 and send Godley to the showers.

The four-homer inning marked the second time this season that Colorado had accomplished the feat (also against the Dodgers April 2) and it was the third such time in franchise history. The six-run outburst marked the sixth time in 2021 that the Rox have scored six or more runs in an inning.

Despite the big comeback to even the score, closer Daniel Bard surrendered three hits and the tie-breaking run in the ninth inning to seal the Rockies’ fate. Bard (3-4) was charged with the loss after absorbing a blown save in his previous outing Friday night by allowing the tying run to score in an eventual 6-5 walk-off Rox win.

Despite Bard’s difficulties in his last two appearances, Colorado Manager Bud Black spoke highly of the right-hander following Sunday’s loss.

“Daniel overall has been, I think, pretty solid for us,” Black told media, including Rox Pile, after the game. “There have been some ups and downs like any closer. It’s going to happen. He is willing to take on the responsibility of a game like that and handle it both mentally, emotionally, and physically.”

Added Black: “Overall, I think Daniel has been a positive for us on our pitching staff.”

Cron’s home run Sunday was part of his third, three-hit game of the season. He has now swatted four homers in his last seven contests.

Tapia and Story each had two hits. Story ended with hits in all seven games of the homestand.

Out of the bullpen, Carlos Estevez tossed two scoreless innings Sunday, allowing just one hit, to lower his earned run average to 3.38. The right-hander notched a pair of wins in the San Diego series earlier in the homestand.

Tapia’s 17-game hitting streak is now the longest active streak of its kind in the Majors this season.