Hey, give the Rockies points for creativity. They continue to find unique ways to lose ballgames.
Monday night at Wrigley Field, they wasted a fantastic game by rookie Cole Carrigg and lost 5-4 to the Cubs on a walk-off walk by Matt Shaw off reliever Seth Halvorsen.
The ninth inning was a Titanic-like disaster for the Rockies, who walked nine — count ’em, nine –in a game that was perhaps the worst loss of the season. Juan Mejia issued a leadoff walk to Seiya Suzuki and then threw the ball into centerfield for an error on Ian Happ’s grounder back to the mound. Mejia packed the bases by walking Nico Hoerner.
Enter Halvorsen, who gave up an RBI single to Pedro Ramirez, tying the game 4-4. Then Halvorsen walked Shaw, and the Rockies lost their 10th consecutive game at Wrigley.
Before the Rockies literally threw a victory away, it was a dramatic, entertaining evening.
The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong hit for the cycle, but the dynamic Carrigg nearly eclipsed him.
Carrigg, who drove in all of Colorado’s runs and hit a three-run home run in the eighth. Carrigg drove lefty Caleb Thielbar’s 0-1 fastball 401 feet to left for what looked to be the game-winner. Since making his big-league debut last Tuesday, Carrigg has hit 7 for 27 with three home runs, one triple, and eight RBIs in seven games.
Armstrong’s “reverse cycle” was extremely rare — just the 11th in the Modern Era (since 1900). He hit a leadoff homer in the first, a triple in the third, a double in the fifth, and a single in the seventh. He added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Key moments: There were almost too many to count.
The craziest arrived moments after Crow-Armstrong clinched his cycle. As the Cubs fans cheered him, he promptly got picked off first base by Colorado lefty Brennan Bernardino.
The Cubs broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth on a two-out RBI triple to right by Shaw off right-hander Antonio Senzatela. Shaw drove in Moises Ballesteros, who drew a two-out walk from Senzatela. Shaw’s triple touched down in the extreme right-field corner. The Rockies challenged the call, believing that the ball was foul, but to no avail.
Chicago threatened to blow the game open in the seventh, loading the bases with one out when reliever Jaden Hill walked Seiya Suzuki, but Hill buckled down and struck out Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner.
The Rockies tied the game, 1-1, in the sixth when Carrigg put together a terrific, eight-pitch at-bat to draw a bases-loaded walk to score Tyler Freeman.
Who’s hot: Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, who has struggled much of the season, put together his second solid game in a row. The right-hander pitched five innings, allowed one run, walked one, and struck out five. His one big mistake came on his fourth pitch of the game, a 2-1 cutter that Crow-Armstrong walloped 434 feet to center.
Who’s not: Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar went 0 for 2 with a strikeout, and his average sits at .217. He was removed for pinch-hitter Troy Johnston in the sixth, and Carrigg moved from center field to shortstop.
Worth noting: Cubs lefty starter Shota Imanago was not invincible after all. He was charged with a run in the sixth inning, even though it was reliever Phil Maton who hit Carrigg to drive in a run. Imanago entered Monday’s game having made two career starts vs. the Rockies, including last Wednesday at Coors Field when he pitched five scoreless innings, striking out seven. He also faced the Rockies on April 1, 2024, when he made his major league debut. He pitched six scoreless innings at Wrigley Field, striking out nine in a 5-0 Cubs victory.
Pitching probables
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.20 ERA) at Cubs RHP Edward Cabrera (4-3, 4.86), 6:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Rockies LHP Sean Sullivan (0-0, 0.00) at Cubs RHP Javier Assad (4-1, 3.99), 6:05 p.m.
Thursday: Off day
