WASHINGTON — The Rockies’ July misery index just keeps climbing.
Not only did they lose 3-2 to Washington in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, they also lost starter to a right calf injury. Colorado fell to 1-4 on its current road trip and lost for the 15th time in its last 18 games.
The Nationals, meanwhile, own the majors’ best record since May 24, going 35-17.
Gray departed in the fourth inning with the game tied 1-1. He had an X-ray taken, but it showed no fractures, and Gray said he was hopeful he would be able to make his next start. He was hit by a line drive off the bat of Brian Dozier in the second inning, and the calf became increasingly sore as the game went on.
“I took one pretty hard off the outside of my calf, and at first it felt OK,” Gray said. “But then it got really stiff. I think that was pretty evident, and you could see that I was missing pretty bad glove-side. I was having trouble standing tall and completing my delivery.”
Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a leadoff double by newly acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso, who scored on ‘s sacrifice fly to deep left. That lead evaporated when Gray ran into trouble in the bottom of the frame.
That’s when Gray gave up a run on a hit and three walks, including a walk to pinch-hitter Gerardo Parra with the bases loaded to force in a run and knot the game 1-1.
“I think the injury affected his control and command, as you could see by the three walks in the inning,” manager Bud Black said. “By the time Jon got out of the inning, (the calf) was sore and painful.
“Jon, as you guys know, is tough, but he tried to hang in there. But then he said, ‘Hey, Buddy, this is the right thing to do.’ So we took him out of the game.”
Washington took a 2-1 lead on Adam Eaton’s first-pitch homer off in the fifth inning, but Colorado tied the game in the sixth on another double by Alonso and an RBI single by McMahon.
The tie didn’t last long. Washington took a 3-2 lead when Anthony Rendon led off the seventh inning with another first-pitch home run — this one off right-hander .
Colorado’s offense, once again, ran into a road detour. Although the Rockies outhit the Nationals 8-7, the Rockies were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
“We’re scuffling again, but we’ve got to keep at it, keep plugging away,” Black said. “It seems as though we can’t get a lot of guys going. ‘Mac’ had a good game today, and Alonso had a couple of hits and some good at-bats. But like we’ve talked about all year, we need more than two or three. We need five or six guys swinging it well.”
The constant losing is starting to wear on the team, but the Rockies said they will keep fighting.
“It’s is frustrating, because we know where we should be at right now,” Gray said. “But we see problems pile up on top of problems, and it’s not good. I know we are not the kind of team that is going to give up on it, and I know we are going to fight to the end.
“But I just want to see us come together again. When everything is working for us, we’re unstoppable. If we are pitching well and hitting well at the same time, no one can beat us. But I haven’t really seen that team, a lot, this year. We just have to get into a rhythm.”
Game 2 will be played Tuesday night at Nationals Park, with left-hander starting for Colorado opposite Washington southpaw Patrick Corbin.
