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Rockies vs. Padres: Rox split after electric comeback

An exciting series ends well for the Rox

By Ian Slate |
San Diego Padres v Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres v Colorado Rockies / Matthew Stockman/GettyImages
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The Rundown

After a series loss at the hands of the Mariners, the Rox welcomed Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres into town. Game one was a pitcher’s duel, as Austin Gomber and Dylan Cease went punch for punch, both allowing just one run in five and seven innings of work, respectively. Victor Vodnik followed with two clean innings, but Nick Mears struggled giving up three consecutive two out hits to put the Rockies in a 3-1 hole. That score would prove to hold as Dylan Cease went seven dominant innings before handing the ball over to Enyel De Los Santos and Robert Suarez to close the game.

In game two, the Rockies took on Michael King, fresh off of a near no-hitter his last time out. On the other side, Ryan Feltner struggled, allowing four runs through four innings. The Rockies bats finally came alive in the bottom of the fourth, putting up a five spot against King, highlighted by a majestic Brendan Rodgers grand slam. Jalen Beeks went three strong innings in relief of Feltner and Ezequiel Tovar tacked on an insurance run the next inning. Justin Lawrence came in to record his first save of the season in the ninth, and the Rockies won by a score of 7-4.

Game three was another dud as the first inning runs theme continued. Ty Blach got his first start of the year, giving up four first inning runs to put the Rockies in a hole. Blach provided four clean innings after, but the cushion would be enough for the Padres pitching staff. Knuckleball artist Matt Waldron gave the Rockies fits with six innings of one-run ball. Ryan McMahon and Elias Diaz solo shots were ultimately the only offense the Rockies could muster up, as Colorado dropped game three 5-2.

Game four was a thrilling offensive matchup with Dakota Hudson taking the hill against Randy Vasquez. After trading first inning runs, the Padres broke through with three runs in the third, capped off by a Ha Seong Kim home run. The Rockies answered, matching San Diego in the bottom of the inning on the strength of an Elehuris Montero two run shot, chasing Vazquez from the game. After encountering more trouble in the fourth, Dakota Hudson exited after giving up six runs while being unable to make it through four innings. Peter Lambert held the Padres at bay in 2.2 innings, but struggles from Mears and Tyler Kinley put the Rockies down 9-4. With things looking bleak, the Rox mounted a comeback in the bottom of the eighth. Hunter Goodman blasted his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to bring the Rockies within striking distance. Brenton Doyle knocked in another with a single up the middle and an Elias Diaz single gave them the lead. Bud Black turned the ball over to Justin Lawrence, who finished the job with his second save of the series to give the Rockies the 10-9 victory.

The Positives

Brendan Rodgers was awesome in this series. He had the moment of the series with his towering grand slam in game two then followed it up with a three-hit game in the series finale. After a tough start to the season, Rodgers has looked much better at the plate hitting .280 in his last 15 games. Jake Cave went 2-3 on Thursday afternoon, continuing to prove a solid at-bat as a fourth outfielder. Hunter Goodman started his season well with a huge home run in his first series with the big club. Elias Diaz stayed hot with four more hits in the series, continuing his case for being one of the better offensive catchers in the league. Elehuris Montero had a great series with a three-hit game on Tuesday and his first home run of the season in the series finale.

Austin Gomber turned in another solid start, his third in a row. Jalen Beeks had a fantastic outing in relief of Ryan Feltner, giving three scoreless innings and recording his second win of the season. It’s nice to see Anthony Molina start to figure it out at the major league level. Molina pitched three scoreless innings of relief, lowering his season ERA to 10.45. Justin Lawrence had two saves in the series, as he seems to be turning the corner after his rough beginning to the season. And finally, in shocking news, Peter Lambert is better in the bullpen and should probably remain there. 

The Negatives

Ryan Feltner labored through his second outing in a row. He got hit around for four runs in four innings on 10 hits. Feltner has great stuff, so I would like to see him get back on track in his next start. Dakota Hudson had a brutal final line. Six runs in less than four innings is tough to recover from as a team, but somehow the Rockies did and snuck out a win, saving Hudson from the Rockiest Rocky tag. Nolan Jones only played in two games this series, recording just one hit. His struggles continue, as his season average is currently sitting at .148. First inning runs continue to plague the Rockies, as they surrendered six across the series.

Coors Crown: Brenton Doyle

Brenton Doyle is an offensive threat now. Doyle went 7-15 in the series for a .467 AVG with two doubles and three hit games in the finale. On the season, he is hitting .330, a far cry from last year’s .203. While his whiff, strikeout, and walk rates are still concerning, the key to Doyle’s transformation may lie in his hard hit and quality of contact numbers. According to Baseball Savant, Doyle’s hard-hit rate jumped from 19% to 73% and his sweet spot percentage from 11% to 85%. Is this sustainable? I’m not sure. Probably not to the rate he’s currently going. But Doyle can certainly be a league average or better hitter this season. And if he does that with the platinum glove defense and elite speed he provides on a night-in, night-out basis, his value will skyrocket, and he may achieve some very lofty WAR numbers by season’s end.

Rockiest Rocky: Nick Mears

Nick, your stuff is so nasty. If he could just fully put it together he would be closer material. Instead, Mears' hot start has died off, and he now sits with a 5.06 ERA in 10.2 innings. Mears had a brutal series, giving up two earned runs in both of his one inning appearances against San Diego for an ERA of 18.00. Mears took the loss in game one, coughing up the lead after strong outings by Austin Gomber and Victor Vodnik. With Mears potential, he can be an X-factor for the Rockies pen this year, but his performance of late isn’t going to cut it. 

Stat Pack

Offensive Highlights: 

Ezequiel Tovar: 4-15, 1 RBI, 1 2B  (series); .300 AVG, 12 RBI, 6 2B (season totals)

Ryan McMahon: 1-15, 1 HR, 2 RBI; .306 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI

Brendan Rodgers: 5-15, 1 HR, 4 RBI; .228 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI

Elehuris Montero: 4-14, 1 HR, 3 RBI; .233 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI

Elias Diaz: 4-15, 1 RBI, 2 2B; .309 AVG, 14 RBI, 4 2B

Pitching Highlights: 

Austin Gomber: 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 K (series); 4.32 ERA, 25 IP, 20 K (season totals)

Justin Lawrence: 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 S; 5.59 ERA, 9.2 IP, 2 S

Tyler Kinley: 1 IP, 1 ER, 1 W; 1-0 W/L 9.90 ERA, 10 IP, 10 K

Jalen Beeks: 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 K; 2-1 W/L, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 8 K

Ty Blach: 2 G, 6 IP, 4 ER; 6.00 ERA, 6 IP, 1 K

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