Tomoyuki Sugano set the tone, Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar provided the power, and Cole Carrigg turned on the juice in the Rockies’ 7-3 win over the Cubs on Tuesday night.
The Rockies never let the Chicago into the game, and the usual chants of “Let’s go Cubbies!” that envelop Coors Field were muted and infrequent.
Carrigg, making his major league debut, electrified the crowd in the fifth inning with a triple down the right field line. The speed that made him such a fan favorite at Triple-A Albuquerque was on full display as he rounded first, blew around second, and slid headfirst into third for his first major league hit.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way than to have a triple for my first one,” said the 24-year-old, whose grimy jersey was covered with dirt and shaving cream, and soaked with beer after a postgame victory shower. “I love pushing it and going for three. It’s the best feeling in the world. It was awesome.”
Manager Warren Schaeffer thought so, too.
“Just pure joy,” Schaeffer said. “It couldn’t have been a better first hit for a player like that. Super exciting, just watching him run around the bases like a young colt. Impressive. Fun. Happy for him, happy for his folks, and for all the people who came to watch him. That was vintage Cole Carrigg.”
Carrigg joined Ryan Ritter (June 6, 2025 vs. the Mets) as one of only two Rockies to record a triple in their first big-league game, and also the only two Rockies players to record a triple as their first major league hit.
The Rockies staked an early lead on Goodman’s two-run, opposite-field homer in the first off right-hander Colin Rea. Goodman has 18 home runs, the most for a catcher in franchise history before the All-Star break. He broke his own record of 17, set last season.
Goodman usually pulls the ball when he hits home runs, but he said he’s been trying to make some adjustments with his swing.
“I’ve been working on some stuff in the cage, hitting fastballs,” said Goodman, who has homered in five of his last seven games. “I’ve been struggling to hit four-seam (fastballs) more than I have in the past. I have been doing a lot of work on that.
“I wasn’t trying to go ‘oppo’ on purpose, but I got a pretty good pitch to hit on 0-2, and it worked out. I put a good swing on it … went with it.”
Tovar led off the second with a 433-foot missile to left-center, his fourth homer of the season.
Edouard Julien, who’s broken out of a deep May slump, went 2 for 3 with a double and drove in three runs.
Sugano did what he’s been doing: provided a solid foundation and put Colorado in a position to win. The veteran right-hander pitched five-plus innings, yielding three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three.
He was not very efficient, needing 93 pitches (54 strikes) and falling behind in a lot of counts, in part because the Cubs weren’t biting on split-finger. But he never let the game spin out of control, as so many Colorado starters have done lately.
“They were taking my splitter down, but on the other hand, I was able to throw my two-seamer and four-seamer well, and that was really helpful,” said Sugano, who improved to 6-4.
He became the first Rockies starter to notch at least six wins in their first 13 starts with the club since Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, and Antonio Senzatela all did it in 2017.
“Maybe some abnormaly deep counts for ‘Tomo’ tonight, but he made pitches when he had to,” Schaeffer said. “I thought his slider was really good tonight. He gave us a chance to win, as he always does.”
Sugano did lose his edge in the sixth when Chicago leadoff hitter Michael Busch led off with a 424-foot homer to left. Busch ripped a 3-2 fastball left over the middle of the plate and high in the zone. When Sugano subsequently gave up a single to Alex Bregman, Sugano’s night was done.
Colorado’s bullpen, a disaster area of late, put the Cubs away with relative ease. Four Colorado relievers — Seth Halvoren, Brennan Bernardino, Antonio Senzatela and Jaden Hill — were charged with no runs and gave up only two hits.
During their last four games at Coors, Colorado’s bullpen had allowed 35 earned runs, the most earned runs allowed in a four-game span at home in franchise history. The 35 earned runs in a four-game span at home tied the most allowed by any major league team since earned runs became an official statistic (1912 National League, 1913 American League). The 1928 Phillies also allowed 35 earned runs from July 31 to Aug. 4.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.74 ERA) at Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-8, 8.01), 6:40 p.m.
Thursday: Cubs RHP Edward Cabrera (3-3, 4.99) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (2-1, 4.22), 1:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
