WASHINGTON — The hits keep on coming for the Colorado Rockies. Just not enough of the good kind.
In a game that saw starter Kyle Freeland leave with an apparent leg injury, the Rockies were dealt their fifth straight road series loss and seventh overall in a 6-5 defeat Sunday at the Washington Nationals.
Juan Soto snapped a 15-game home run drought with a two-run shot, and Tanner Rainey got the final five outs to hold off a late Rockies rally that saw them score four runs between the seventh and eighth innings.
With the loss, Colorado is 5-15 in its last 20 games, dropping from a high-water mark of 16-11 on May 7 to 21-26 — the furthest it has been below .500 all season.
Freeland (1-5) exited with two outs in the sixth inning. He landed awkwardly on his 107th pitch and pointed to his leg. Freeland, who was helped off the field, was charged with five runs on seven hits. He walked four and struck out two.
“On push off, just felt a shooting pain at the top of my foot right at the joint kind of going down my foot,” Freeland said. “I have no idea what it was. I’ve never had it before, but it was good that X-rays came back negative. We think it was just a little bit of impingement there, so we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”
Rockies manager Bud Black didn’t think Freeland will need to go on the injured list.
“Apparently we dodged a bullet,” Black said.
If Freeland were to miss time, it would be another blow to a pitching staff that could ill afford it.
Right-hander Antonio Senzatela was placed on the injured list earlier this month after sustaining a back injury, and has yet to return to the rotation. In the mean time, they have had to turn to Triple-A Albuquerque for reinforcements, including Monday’s starter against the Miami Marlins, Ryan Feltner.
The good news? At least the Rockies get to come back to Coors Field.
As was the case last year, the road has been unkind for them this spring, including the East Coast swing that mercifully came to an end on Sunday.
On successive visits to below-.500 Pittsburgh (19-26) and Washington (18-31), the Rockies managed just two wins in seven games. Since starting the season 4-1 on the road, they have gone 3-14 away from Coors Field.
After pulling within 6-3 in the seventh, the Rockies got RBI singles from Brendan Rodgers and Sam Hilliard with one out in the eighth against Kyle Finnegan. With runners on first and third, Nationals closer Rainey struck out Elias Diaz and Charlie Blackmon.
Rainey finished with a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save.
Nationals starter Josiah Gray (5-4) worked around three hits and four walks to allow one run over five innings.
Blackmon led off the game with his seventh homer for the Rockies, while Rodgers went 2-for-4 at the plate to extend his hitting streak to 16 games, matching his career high.
“The way we came back, got some opposite field hits, put the ball in play, that would have been a nice one,” Black said.
Soto hadn’t homered since May 12 against the Mets. He gave Washington a 2-1 lead when he hit his ninth of the season, a line drive to center in the bottom of the first. He raised his average to .236.
He added a double and a walk for the Nationals, who took three of four from the Rockies. Lane Thomas had a two-run homer.
“When he starts hitting the ball out of the ballpark, itap going to come in bunches,” manager Dave Martinez said before the game.
Thomas hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 6-1.
On Deck
Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Marlins RHP Pablo Lopez (4-2, 2.04)
2:10 p.m. Monday, Coors Field
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
A replacement in the rotation for the injured Antonio Senzatela (back strain), Feltner is making his third start of the season for the Rockies. He was solid in his last outing, allowing two earned runs on three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings at Pittsburgh. The right-hander has shown an ability to strike out big league batters, notching at least six strikeouts in three of his four career starts. Down at Triple-A Albuquerque, the 2018 fourth round pick is 4-1 with a 3.76 ERA and 48 strikeouts over eight starts.
The right-handed Lopez is on pace for a career year two months into 2022, with his WHIP (0.962) as low as it’s ever been as he’s cut down on walks while maintaining an impressive 9.5 strikeouts/nine innings. But it’s been an up-and-down May for Lopez, who’s seen the Marlins lose in four of his last five starts. That includes his last outing, when the Tampa Bay Rays touched him up for nine hits (three homers) and four earned runs over seven innings. He’s faced the Rockies twice, getting a win each time while notching a 3.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts and zero home runs allowed over 13 1/3 innings.
Trending: Brendan Rodgers continued his torrid month at the plate Sunday, going 2-for-4 to move his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games. Entering Sunday, Rodgers was slashing .337/.359/.483 for the month of May — a far cry from the opening month when the second baseman had a .087 batting average.
At issue: With Sunday’s loss, the Rockies have now lost seven consecutive series. Their last series win came at home against the Nationals (2-1) on May 3-5. Colorado is 6-16 during that stretch as it has fallen to the bottom of the NL West standings.
Pitching probables:
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (1-5, 6.30) vs. Marlins TBA, 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Rockies TBA vs. Marlins TBA, 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
