Their 8-3 victory over the Padres on Wednesday night at Coors Field offered the latest proof.

One night after losing a 1-0 game at home for the first time since Aug. 1, 2006, the Rockies rebounded with an impressive performance and snapped their seven-game losing streak to San Diego. Behind a strong start from Tomoyuki Sugano and a huge night at the plate from Hunter Goodman, Colorado improved to 10-15, including a 7-5 record at Coors.

Great shakes? No, but compared to a year ago, it’s baseball nirvana.

“There is a lot of confidence in this group and we have shown that we can do good things,” said Goodman, who hit 3 for 4 with a solo home run and two doubles. “You are not going to keep us down to three hits. You’re not going to do that a lot, and I think we have confidence as a group that we are going to bounce back, especially in this ballpark.”

After the first 25 games of last season’s 119-loss debacle, the Rockies were 4-21 and had already suffered a six-game losing streak and an eight-game losing streak, and they were three games deep into another eight-game skid.  In 2025, the Rockies did not win their 10th game until June 2, to improve to 10-50.

Sugano, who pitched poorly in Colorado’s 7-1 home loss to the Dodgers last Friday, handled the Padres for 5 2/3 innings. The veteran right-hander allowed one run on five hits, struck out four and walked one. He was never in serious trouble, though he departed the game with Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts on base after back-to-back, two-out singles. But reliever Jaden Hill cleaned up the mess by getting Gavin Sheets to ground out to second.

“Sugano has been fantastic,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s locating the heater, and tonight the slider was really good, and the sweeper was good. He was just competing and attacking the zone. He’s a professional, and you can tell that when he goes out there.

“I think every time out there is probably a different pitch working for him. Tonight it was the sweeper and the slider.”

Sugano, who improved to 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA  through his five starts with Colorado, said he’s enjoying his time in Colorado.

“It’s a new team, new coaching staff, new environment, and good teammates,” he said through his interpreter, Yuto Sakurai. “Overall, it’s a very good environment for me so far.”

Last season, the Rockies’ offense often got stuck in a rut and stayed there, spinning its wheels. In their 1-0 loss on Tuesday night, the Rockies managed just three hits. But they pounded out 15 hits on Wednesday, and scored five of their eight runs with two outs.

Goodman launched a 427-foot leadoff home run in the eighth, his sixth homer of the season, tying Mickey Moniak for the team lead.

Moniak continues to rake. He hit two doubles and drove in a run, and has hit safely in his last seven games, slashing .346/.393/.654 during the streak. Rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield drove in Goodman with an RBI single in the fourth and scored Moniak with a double in the sixth. Rumfield and Moniak are tied for the team lead with 13 RBIs.

San Diego veteran right-hander Walker Buehler dominated the Rockies on April 10 at Petco Park, pitching six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, walking none, and striking out four. Wednesday night, he got the hook after just 2 2/3 innings. The Rockies wrecked Buehler for four runs on eight hits, and he walked three.

The differing results were not solely due to different ballparks. The Rockies attacked Buehler differently this time around.

“It’s another step forward for us,” Schaeffer said. “Just the fact that we forced him to throw so many pitches within the first three innings (82), just tells me we are spitting on the balls.

“It’s so simple. I don’t want to make too much out of it, but it’s baseball. It’s spitting on the balls and offering at pitches in the zone. That’s what we did tonight. It was good and we have to do it again tomorrow.”

Colorado will attempt to win its third series of the season on Thursday afternoon vs. the Padres. Last season, Colorado didn’t win its third series until July 18-20, when it took two of three games from Minnesota at Coors.

Pitching probables

Thursday: Padres RHP Matt Waldron (0-1, 14.73 ERA) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-1, 6.00), 1:10 p.m.

Friday: Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 7.48) at Mets RHP Freddy Peralta (1-2, 4.05), 5:10 p.m.

Saturday: Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (0-2, 6.23) at Mets RHP Kodai Senga (0-3, 8.83), 2:10 p.m.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM & 94.1 FM

During the Rockies’ 9-6 victory over the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, Hunter Goodman, Troy Johnston, Edouard Julien and Jake McCarthy all hit doubles, and they all pantomimed a fisherman casting his line and reeling in a catch.

Clearly, it was a clever celebratory response to the comments made by Dodgers backup catcher Dalton Rushing after the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to Colorado on Saturday. Rushing made some veiled accusations, saying the Rockies made some “fishy” swing decisions.

On Monday, when asked about the Rockies’ act at second base, Johnston didn’t take the bait.

Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela embraces change and it’s paying off | Journal

"What was it all about? Fishing," McCarthy answered Monday as a big smile spread across his face. "We all like to fish, and we like the outdoors. This is Colorado."

So, it had nothing to do with Rushing comments?

"Well, I mean, that's open to interpretation," he said, flashing another big grin. "It's a team bonding thing. It's all in good fun."

Goodman, Colorado's All-Star catcher, as it turns out, is also a big fisherman in his home state of Tennessee.

"I enjoy bass fishing," Goodman said. "And Colorado is an outdoor state. And one of the best players to ever play here, Chuck, fishes all of the time. I'm sure he loves it."

Goodman was referring to Rockies icon Charlie Blackmon.

So, did Goodman's air casting have anything to do with Rushing's fishy comments?

"I mean, I'll leave that up to other people to decide," he said.

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer added, "Sometimes guys just say things, that's all. I mean, we are the highest percentage 0-0 swing team in the league, and I think everybody knows that. It is what it is. (Rushing) is free to say whatever he wants."

And what was Schaeffer's response to his players' second base celebration?

"I don't know anything about that," he said.

Sparked by Mickey Moniak’s two-run homer in the seventh and a 15-hit attack, the Rockies beat the Dodgers, 9-6, on a perfect spring Sunday in front of a crowd of 42,627 at Coors Field.

For the second straight game, it was Colorado, not the two-time defending World Series champions, that delivered when it mattered. The Rockies beat the Dodgers 4-3 on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 47,925.

The roots of the mini-revival can be traced to the meeting between the struggling offense and manager Warren Schaeffer, along with hitting coaches Brett Pill and Jordan Pacheco. It came on the heels of a 3-1 loss to the Astros in Houston last Wednesday. Colorado had just three hits, struck out 15 times, and was 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The Rockies had 20 swings and misses.

The meeting wasn’t fire-and-brimstone, but it was effective.

“We talked as men,” Moniak said Sunday after hitting his team-leading sixth homer. “It definitely wasn’t a panic meeting. It was like, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on, this is what we are seeing. (There are) a lot of good things, but this is stuff we can improve on. And let’s talk about. Let’s figure out how we can do it as a team.’

“I think that’s where ‘Schaeff’ is incredible. He really allows us to rally around each other, and he pushes us in the right direction. He’s all about open dialogue, and it’s been a blessing.”

Moniak stressed that the players led the meeting, but said that Schaeffer and his coaches had input.

“We just talked about what we needed to do as a team,” Moniak said. “Team baseball always wins, and we want to figure out how to do that.”

Have the words transferred to the batter’s box?

“Yeah, 100%,” Moniak said. “I was fortunate last year with the Angels to have a presentation from Albert Pujols — one of the greats — and his whole mindset, and his whole approach at the plate was to have a good at-bat, every single at-bat. “That was his only focus, and he knew if he did that 600 times a year, he was going to be in a good spot.”

The Rockies are in a good spot right now, at least at home. They improved to 9-13 overall and 6-3 at Coors Field, where they have won six of their last seven. Sunday marked their first back-to-back wins against the Dodgers in a single season since taking three in a row at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 2-4, 2022.

“The goal is to maintain that energy every day,” Schaeffer said. “Start fresh tomorrow. Then start fresh the next day. These guys love each other, and they are pulling for each other every day, and that creates energy.”

The Rockies’ seventh-inning rally began with a leadoff double by Edouard Julien off right-hander Blake Treinen. Up stepped Moniak, who clobbered Treinen’s first-pitch sweeper 428 feet. A double by Hunter Goodman and an RBI single by Tyler Freeman gave the Rockies a two-run cushion.

Naturally, there was some LoDo drama.

Los Angeles’ Andy Pages and Hyeseong Kim singled in the eighth off reliever Jimmy Herget, and Alex Freeland blasted a ball to deep center field. But Brenton Doyle, inserted for defensive purposes, ran the ball down for the final out.

The ninth was a nail-biter. Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double off Victor Vodnik and scored on Will Smith’s single. The Dodgers packed the bases on an infield hit by Max Muncy and a walk by Vodnik. Pinch-hitter Daulton Rushing’s groundout scored a run, but Ryan Ward flied out to Troy Johnston in right field, who made a diving catch to close out Colorado’s win.

Colorado had bought some much-needed insurance with its three-run eighth. They needed it. The big hit was a two-run, bases-loaded single by Julien, who went 3 for 5 with three RBIs.

“It was big. We needed the (runs),” Schaeffer said.  “You need every run you can get against the Dodgers.”

L.A. took a short-lived 4-3 lead against right-handed reliever Antonio Senzatela in the sixth on Alex Freeland’s run-scoring single to right. It was the first run of the season allowed by Senzatela in six appearances.

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen delivered a workmanlike, five-inning start for the Rockies. The fact that he pitched five innings and left with the game tied 3-3 was a step forward for Lorenzen, who has a 7.48 ERA after five starts (six appearances). Lorenzen was tagged for seven hits, walked one, and struck out three.

“I have been working really hard to get my body moving the right way, and I feel like we are making progress,” he said.

The Dodgers scored two off Lorenzen in the third on a double by Kim, an RBI single by Alex Freeland, and an RBI double by Ohtani. The double extended Ohtani’s on-base streak to 51 consecutive games, moving him past “Wee” Willie Keeler for third all-time in Dodgers franchise history (since 1900). Only Hall of Famer Duke Snider (58 games in 1954) and Shawn Green (53 in 2000) are ahead of Ohtani.

Rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield drove in Colorado’s first run with a single in the fourth, and Colorado tied the game, 3-3, in the fifth on a 448-foot solo homer to left by Kyle Karros and an RBI single by Julien to score Jake McCarthy, who doubled.

The Dodgers and Rockies play the final game of the four-game series on Monday night at Coors.

Pitching probables

Monday: Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) at Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63), 6:40 p.m.

Tuesday: Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (1-0, 2.49) at Rockies TBD, 6:40 p.m.

Wednesday: Padres RHP Walker Buehler (1-1-, 4.58) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (1-1, 3.92), 6:40 p.m.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM & 94.1 FM

In a heart-in-your-throat, 4-3 victory over the Dodgers, Colorado relievers Brennan Bernardino, Jaden Hill, and Victor Vodnik combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Vodnik pitched the ninth for his third save, but it didn’t come easily. Will Smith delivered a pinch-hit single for the Dodgers, and Shohei Ohtani singled to right, extending his on-base streak to 50 games. But Vodnik induced Kyle Tucker to pop out to left field, clinching the victory.

“Just attack and get ahead,” Vodnik said about facing Ohtani with the game on the line.

Before the four-game series with the Dodgers, Vodnik expressed his admiration for Ohtani, but also expressed belief in himself.

“That����ap going to be awesome to tell (my three daughters)I faced Shohei Ohtani,” he told The Post. “But for me, hopefully, he says, ‘I got to face Victor Vodnik.’ ”

The hard-throwing right-hander — who was unaware that Ohtani “Wee” Willie Keeler for the third-longest on-base streak in Dodgers franchise history (since 1900) — said he was not flustered when Ohtani hit his two-out single in the ninth.

“You just let it go, right away, and then you go after the next guy,” said Vodnik, who has not allowed an earned run over seven appearances (eight innings) in April, while going three-for-three on save opportunities.

Saturday marked the fourth time in the last five games that Colorado’s bullpen has not allowed a run, and its 0.68 ERA over that span has lowered the ‘pen’s overall ERA to 2.97.

“We’re nasty, man, the bullpen is nasty,” Vodnik said. “Everybody trusts everybody … and they pick each other up. And everybody throws friggin’ hard. And everybody gives different looks, so it makes it hard (on opponents), for sure.”

There was plenty of drama for an announced sellout crowd of 47,925, many of whom donned Dodger blue. Los Angeles loaded the bases in the eighth when Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference (Hunter Goodman was charged with an error), Tucker singled, and Teoscar Hernandez reached on a two-out walk by Hill. But Hill got the dangerous Max Muncy to tap a groundout to second base.

Crisis averted, high-fives in the dugout for Hill.

The Rockies took a 4-3 lead with a two-run sixth inning, finally coming through with the clutch hits that have eluded them so often. Goodman led off with a double, Ezequiel Tovar singled off the leg of reliever Will Klein, and Johnston drove them both in with a double to right-center.

Right-hander Ryan Feltner shook off a shaky beginning to give the Rockies what they needed: toughness and some needed length from a starter. Feltner pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, including two solo homers. Feltner struck out five and walked only one.

“Earlier in my career, here, I would have pressed and tried to do something different,” Feltner said. “But just knowing that stuff happens here, you have to know that just keeping our offense in it is really important. That was my main goal.”

For the historic record: Ohtani, the Dodgers superstar, went 0 for 3 vs. Feltner and is now 1 for 10 in his career vs. the right-hander.

Third baseman Kyle Karros rescued Feltner with a sensational play in the sixth. After Freddie Freeman scorched a two-out triple to left-center, Karros robbed Hernandez of extra bases with a diving stop and a perfect throw to first for the out. Hill then entered the game and fanned Muncy for the third out.

“Karros made a huge play — a game-saver,” manager Warren Schaeffer said.

Added Karros: “I was just reacting to the ball. It took me down the line, and I checked whether Freddie was running. He wasn’t, so I threw across the diamond.”

The Rockies got off to an inauspicious start. On the first pitch of the game, Ohtani hit a high chopper to Johnston behind first base. Johnston threw wildly to Feltner, running to cover the bag. Feltner appeared to tweak his back on the play but stayed in the game. He said after the game that his back was fine.

On the next pitch, Tucker ambushed Feltner’s 94.6 mph fastball, sending it over the right-center field wall for a 435-foot, two-run homer.

But Colorado shook off the punch. In the bottom of the frame, a double by Mickey Moniak, followed by an RBI single by rookie TJ Rumfield cut Los Angeles’ lead to 2-1.

L.A. extended its lead to 3-1 in the second on a Dalton Rushing homer off Feltner that barely crept into the right-field seats. The Rockies responded in their at-bat, combining a leadoff single and stolen base by Johnston with a sacrifice fly by Karros to slice the lead to 3-2.

Pitching probables

Sunday: Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.63 ERA) at Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10), 1:10 p.m.

Monday: Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) at Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63), 6:40 p.m.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM & 94.1 FM

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• Rockies go fishing, have fun with ‘fishy’ comments from Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing

The victory, buffered by Colorado’s shutdown bullpen, snapped Colorado’s six-game losing streak.

Dollander didn’t get the start — Colorado used Juan Mejia as an opener — but Dollander entered the game in the first inning, pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, and struck out nine. He gave up one run and walked two. Dollander’s nine strikeouts tied a franchise record for the most strikeouts by a reliever. He tied Bruce Ruffin, who had nine Ks in relief on Sept. 14, 1993, the Rockies’ inaugural season.

Key Moments: There were multiple high-wire moments, to wit:

• In the sixth, Dollander issued a leadoff walk to Isaac Parades, and Carlos Correra ripped a double to left field off the glove of third baseman Kyle Karros. Dollander looked to be in deep trouble but kept his cool. He got the dangerous Christian Walker to ground out to short by using a nasty sinker. Then Dollander struck out Joey Loperfido and Cam Smith to end the threat.

• In the seventh, the Astros loaded the bases against right-hander Jaden Hill, but on a 2-2 count, Correa lined out softly to first baseman T.J. Rumfield and Colorado’s lead held.

• In the top of the seventh, Colorado loaded the bases with one out but failed to score. AJ Blubaugh struck out Goodman for the second out. Then Mickey Moniak hit a sharper grounder to the right side that looked like a two-run single, but Houston second baseman Jose Altuve made a brilliant, sliding grab and threw out Moniak.

• In the fifth, Hunter Goodman ripped a two-out double to center and Tyler Freeman attempted to score from first base. It seemed like a done deal, but Freeman was erased at the plate by catcher Yanier Dias after perfect throws from center fielder Taylor Trammell and Correa from short.

Who’s hot: Goodman (2 for 3 with a walk) hit a leadoff homer in the fourth inning, his fifth.

Freeman hit 3 for 5 and drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth. Freeman is batting .300.

Center fielder Brenton Doyle has run cold much of the season, but he hit 2 for 3, drew a walk, and stole two bases (he has five this season) and scored on Freeman’s single in the fifth to give Colorado its 3-2 lead.  Doyle raised his average by 26 points to .226.

Who’s not: Mejia failed to get out of the first inning. In two-thirds of an inning, he gave up two runs on two bloop hits, uncorked a wild pitch, and plunked Christian Walker. Dollander came to his rescue.

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has cooled down after a hot start. He went 0 for 4, and his average sits at .233.

Worth noting: The Rockies threatened to repeat some bad history, but managed to escape infamy. Colorado had gone winless on a road trip of at least seven games just twice in franchise history: Sept. 15-21, 2011, at San Francisco and San Diego, and June 25-July 1, 1999, at San Diego and at San Francisco.

Pitching probables

Friday: Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 4.00 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (1-0, 2.16), 6:40 p.m.

Saturday: Dodgers RHP Emmet Sheehan (2-0, 6.60) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-1, 7.30), 6:10 p.m.

Sunday: Dodgers RHP Roki Sasaki (0-2, 6.23) at Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-2, 8.10), 1:10 p.m.

Monday: Dodgers LHP Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) at Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63), 6:40 p.m.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA NewsRadio 850 AM & 94.1 FM

The Rockies wasted an early 3-0 lead and a two-homer performance by Hunter Goodman in a 7-6 loss to the Astros. Colorado, swept in four games in San Diego, has lost five consecutive games.

Credit Colorado for battling back. Down 7-3 at one point, Troy Johnston’s pinch-hit, RBI single scored a run in the eighth, cutting Houston’s lead to 7-6.

The Astros, swept in Colorado last week, snapped an eight-game losing streak.

Key moments: The Rockies had a chance to win the game in the ninth when TJ Rumfield and Ezequiel Tovar hit back-to-back, two-out, two-strike singles. However, Houston reliever Enyel De Los Santos struck out Jordan Beck looking to end the game.

The killer blow for the Rockies was the third, when Houston scored six runs on four hits, two errors by second baseman Willi Castro, and a balk by starter Michael Lorenezen.

Who’s hot: Goodman blasted two solo home runs, a solo blast in the first and another solo shot in the fifth. The catcher, Colorado’s lone All-Star last season, has four home runs this season. Dating back to last season, 21 of his 35 home runs have been hit on the road.

Starter-turn-reliever Antonio Senzatela pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings and has not been scored upon in five outings. He allowed two hits, walked none, and struck out three.

Who’s not: Lorenzen’s struggles continued. He pitched just 2 2/3 innings, and although he was only charged with two earned runs, the Astros plated seven runs against him, including a solo home run by Christian Walker in the second. Lorenzen, who has an 8.10 ERA, was called for a balk in the Astros’ six-run third inning.

Castro not only committed two costly errors in Houston’s big inning and also went 0 for 4 at the plate with three strikeouts. Castro’s strikeout rate is 41.4%.

Worth noting: Left-hander Kyle Freeland, who was a late scratch on Sunday because of a sore shoulder, continues to be evaluated. Manager Warren Scheaffer told reporters in Houston that the club hopes to have an update on Freeland on Wednesday.

Pitching probables

Wednesday: Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (0-0, 4.15 ERA) at Astros TBD, 6:10 p.m.

Thursday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (1-0, 2.16) at Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 5.87), 6:10 p.m.

Friday: Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 4.00) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-1, 7:30), 6:40 p.m.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA NewsRadio 850 AM & 94.1 FM;

It happened again Friday night in a 5-2 walk-off loss to the Padres. Gavin Sheets ripped a three-run home run to deep center off reliever Juan Mejia in the ninth.

On Thursday, Colorado lost 7-3 in 12 innings when Xander Bogaerts hit a walk-off grand slam off right-hander Valente Bellozo. The Rockies’ second straight gut-punch loss in San Diego took considerable shine off their recent four-game winning streak.

Key moments: Mejia entered the ninth with the game tied 2-2, but he gave up a leadoff single to Jackson Merrill and walked Manny Machado to put himself in deep trouble. Bogaerts flew out to deep right field for the first out, but Sheets destroyed Mejia’s 1-0 fastball to win the game.

Colorado tied the game, 2-2, in the eighth on a redemption hit by Jordan Beck. After getting picked off second base in the seventh, Beck came back to deliver. Still, he’s in a deep early-season slump, is hitting just .115.

Who’s hot:  Starter Tomoyuki Sugano pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and no walks. However, he did give up solo home runs to Sheets and Luis Campusano in the fifth when the Padres took a 2-0 lead. After three starts, the veteran right-hander owns a 2.16 ERA.

Who’s not: Third baseman Kyle Karros continues to scuffle at the plate. He went 0 for 3, dipping his average to .205.

Worth noting: Catcher Hunter Goodman, whose right middle finger was lacerated by a hit by pitch on Thursday night, did not start Friday. However, he came through with a pinch-hit single in the eighth to push across Colorado’s first run.

Pitching probables

Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-0, 4.32 ERA) at Padres RHP German Marquez (1-1, 4.50), 6:40 p.m.

Sunday: Sunday: LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1, 2.30) at Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (1-2, 5.54), 2:10 p.m.

Monday: Off day

Xander Bogaerts hit a walk-off grand slam off right-hander Valente Bellozo to win the extra-inning chess match and halt Colorado’s four-game winning streak.

With ghost runner Jake Cronenworth perched on third with one out, Colorado intentionally walked Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado to load the bases, hoping to get a double play and send the game into the 13th inning. Instead, Bogaerts ripped Bellozo’s 1-0 sinker deep into the left-field seats.

Key moment: Aside from Bogaerts’ slam, the game’s tipping point came in the top of the 12th with ghost runner Willi Castro on third and one out. Brenton Doyle hit a hot shot to second baseman Jake Cronenworth, who made a perfect throw to nail Castro at home for the second out. Kyle Karros grounded out to short to end the inning.

Who’s hot: Doyle, who entered the game hitting .139, finally looked comfortable at the plate. He hit a 408-foot solo homer to center in the third to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. Doyle added a sharp single in the fifth.

Right-handed reliever Jimmy Herget, who started the game as an opener, pitched a perfect first inning. Through six appearances, Herget has a 1.29 ERA.

Right-hander Chase Dollander followed Herget and pitched 4 1/3 innings. He gave up one run in the third, but was charged with just four hits, while walking one and striking out three.

Who’s not: Castro, who got the start at third base, struck out five times in five at-bats, and his early-season average tumbled to .222.

Worth noting: Starting catcher Hunter Goodman left the game in the sixth inning after getting hit by a pitch. Goodman tried to stay in the game, but his finger was bleeding. Manager Warren Schaeffer said that although Goodman suffered a laceration to the right middle finger, X-rays were negative. The Rockies hope that Goodman won’t miss much time.

Pitching probables

Friday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (1-0, 1.69) at Padres RHP Walker Beuhler (0-1, 9.45), 7:40 p.m.

Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-0, 4.32) at Padres RHP German Marquez (1-1, 4.50), 6:40 p.m.

Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1, 2.30) at Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (1-2, 5.54), 2:10 p.m.

Monday: Off day.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Playing push-the-envelope baseball, combined with solid pitching and timely hitting, the Rockies beat the Astros 9-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field to polish off the three-game sweep. Last season, en route to 119 losses, the Rockies managed one sweep, taking three games in Miami from June 2-4.

And get this: The heretofore swing-happy Rockies had more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven) for the first time since July 1, 2024, vs. Milwaukee, when they walked five times and struck out four times.

“We are playing in a ballpark that is like no other, right?” said All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, who smacked a bonus solo home run in the fourth inning. “So, getting guys on base and in scoring position is huge. We’ve been doing that. When you get guys on base, you are going to score a lot of runs here.”

The irony here is that Wednesday’s announced crowd was 15,189, marking the lowest home attendance in franchise history, excluding pandemic-affected seasons. The previous low crowd came on Monday night, with an announced crowd of 16,301.

Starter Michael Lorenzen rebounded from his debacle against the Phillies in last Friday’s home opener — nine runs allowed on 12 hits, including two homers over three innings — to turn in a quality start. He allowed one run on seven hits across 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four, walked two, and sliced his ERA from 14.73 to 9.00.

Lorenzen credited the Rockies’ pitching coaches and analytics team for the turnaround.

“We have some smart people here, and we all put our heads together and tried to figure it out,” he said. “I have a lot of good data from today that we can build off of. It’s not all there yet, but it’s a good, good start.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer said he never doubted that Lorenzen would produce. Colorado signed the veteran right-hander to a one-year, $8 million contract that includes a $9 million club option for 2027. The Rockies need him to deliver.

“He located better today, and he had all of his pitches working,” Schaeffer said. “He was getting ahead in counts. He was big for us today … saving our bullpen.”

Colorado’s five-run second inning was a prime example of the Go-Go Rox style of baseball that Schaeffer has been preaching since spring training.

“That (inning) was fundamentally sound, with sac bunts involved, base-hit bunts involved, and sac flies involved,” Schaeffer said. “We were taking our walks — some really, really tough walks today.

“That’s what we want to do. We want to pass the baton; we want to execute with runners on third with less than two outs. That was very good today.”

The Rockies sent 10 men to the plate in the second, beginning with a leadoff double by Troy Johnston. Included in the track meet were a two-run single by Edoward Julien, a bunt single by Brenton Doyle, an RBI double by Ezequiel Tovar, a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Freeman, a sacrifice fly by Mickey Moniak, three walks, and two stolen bases.

Julien, who’s taking over the leadoff spot, went 5 for 12 with four RBIs during the three-game set.

Lorenzen wasn’t the only pitcher to rebound on Wednesday. Right-hander reliever Zach Agnos, who had allowed 11 hits combined over his last two outings and owned a 12.27 ERA coming in, pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.

“It started with (Lorenezen) today, but I just went out there and attacked the zone today,” Agnos said. “Pitching, like hitting, can be contagious. People have picked me up plenty of times, so it was fun to be able to pick them up.”

His biggest moment came in the sixth inning when he relieved Lorenzen with two outs and the bases loaded. He got Christian Vasquez to ground out to third.

“With the way we are playing, you want to get in on the fun,” Agnos said.

The Rockies take their momentum on the road beginning Thursday night when they open a four-game series against the Padres in San Diego.

“The attitude of this club is, every day, no matter where we are, we want to play good baseball,” Schaeffer said. “We are not going to make it a thing and worry about the road as opposed to home. We are just going to go to San Diego tomorrow and try to play a really good baseball game.”

Rolling Rox

The Rockies won their fourth consecutive game and completed a three-game sweep of the Astros on Wednesday. Not a big deal for most teams, but it was for the Rockies, who:
• Captured their first sweep at Coors Field since May 10-12, 2024, vs. the Rangers.
• Won a home series in April. Last season, they didn’t want their first home series until taking two of three from the Twins on July 18-20.
• Improved to 6-6, the latest in the season they’ve been .500 since 2022, when they were 17-17 on May 15.
• Have won four straight games, matching their longest winning streak of 2025, which they did twice.

Pitching probables

Thursday: Rockies TBD (opener) at Padres RHP at RHP Randy Vasquez (1-0, 0.75 ERA), 7:40 p.m.

Friday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (1-0, 1.69) at Padres RHP Walker Beuhler (0-1, 9.45), 7:40 p.m.

Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-0, 4.32) at Padres RHP German Marquez (1-1, 4.50), 6:40 p.m.

Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-1, 2.30) at Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (1-2, 5.54), 2:10 p.m.

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Colorado entered the fifth inning of the series opener against the Astros down 3-0, and got two runs the honest way when Edouard Julien singled home a couple to cut the score to 3-2.

Then came the help from the LoDo heavens in a 9-7 win, marking the Rockies’ first consecutive victories this season.

“We put the pressure on the Astros today,” said right fielder Troy Johnston, who led the way with three hits, two RBIs, two runs scored and a mega homer. “They had a spot starter, and some trouble in the bullpen, and we took advantage.”

The Rockies plated six runs with two outs in the fifth, and Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena was at the center of three plays that extended the inning when it should’ve been over.

Pena took a bad first step off the bat on a Hunter Goodman grounder to the shortstop’s left, turning a likely out into a single. The next batter, Johnston, hit a chopper up the middle. Pena was shifted perfectly up the middle to field it and step on second for the third out, but the grounder careened off the bag into the outfield for an RBI double.

When Johnston got to second, he let out an animated shrug.

“I thought Pena made an error on the play,” Johnston said. “(Houston second baseman Jose) Altuve told me it was a double, and I didn’t believe him until I looked up at the board and saw the replay. (Sometimes) it’s better to be lucky than good.”

After T.J. Rumfield cashed in on that fortuitous home-field bounce with a two-RBI triple the next at-bat, Willi Castro roped an RBI single to make it a taco’s inning. Pena then committed an error, booting an easy grounder by Brenton Doyle, that enabled Kyle Karros to hit an RBI single a couple batters later.

All that gave Colorado an 8-3 lead, the most runs the club’s scored in an inning this season, and left the Astros visibly relieved when they jogged off the field following Julien’s lineout to left that ended the frame after 14 batters.

“It was nice to see the boys passing the baton, getting the next guy to the plate any way they could,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We took balls and we looked a lot more comfortable tonight.”

The 14-batter inning was the most for the Rockies since 2018, when they did so in a game against the Cardinals in Denver.

It was Houston that had all the momentum prior to that at-bat parade. The Astros scored twice in the opening inning off right-hander Ryan Feltner via a double by Carlos Correa and a single by Christian Walker. Then, the visitors made it 3-0 in the fourth when Cam Smith blasted a 462-foot tank to dead center off a piped Feltner fastball, the longest homer in the majors this season.

Feltner still ended up getting the win, his first such decision since September 17, 2024, in what Schaeffer called “an outing to build on.”

But after the Rockies put together their big inning off the combination of Houston pitchers Cody Bolton (making his first career start) and Ryan Weiss — a frame that also featured three walks and a sacrifice bunt — the Colorado bullpen ensured the Astros weren’t able to fully rally. Through 10 games, relievers have been a strength for the Rockies (4-6).

Houston scored one in the sixth after Feltner loaded the bases, resulting in the end of his night, but Jimmy Herget escaped the jam with only a sacrifice fly. Colorado got that run back in the bottom of the frame thanks to Johnston’s no-doubt homer to right, and the right fielder was greeted with a new celebratory purple fur coat in the dugout following the 407-foot mash.

Johnston was sitting slider on his first-pitch homer off Weiss, and the pitcher put one right in his wheelhouse. That capped a strong night for Johnston, who started out the evening with a surprise bunt single to lead off the second inning, when the ball stopped right on the line just short of third base.

Even with the Rockies in command following the fifth, in typical Coors Field fashion, the game wasn’t over until it was over.

The Astros ripped Zach Agnos in the eighth to make it 9-7, and Agnos was pulled with one out and two men in scoring position, including the tying run at second base. But Juan Mejia induced a flyout and a groundout to end the threat, then set Houston down in order in the ninth for his first save of the season and second of his career.

“That was two huge outs in the eighth inning, and then (Mejia) came back out and did the same thing in the ninth,” Schaeffer said. “His stuff is nasty and he’s got a low heartbeat, so it’s a good combo.”

Of note, the Rockies had starter Michael Lorenzen warming up in the ninth should Mejia have gotten into trouble. Schaeffer said that will be a staple for the Rockies moving forward on the right-hander’s bullpen days.

“Instead of him throwing a bullpen, he’s going to be available for an inning out of the ‘pen,” Schaeffer said. “He’s come out of the ‘pen many times in his career. He wants to help the team, and we’re going to let him.”

The three-game series resumes on Tuesday night when southpaw Kyle Freeland takes on Houston right-hander Mike Burrows.