The 471-foot shot off Dylan Smith’s fastball was Karros’ seventh home run of the season and the longest of his career.

With Karros’ homer, the Rockies have 122 runs in the eighth inning or later this season, the highest mark in the majors.

471 FEET KYLE KARROS YOU BEAUTY

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies)

TJ Rumfield had three hits, including his 20th double of the season, and scored twice for Colorado. He has 94 hits, the most by a Colorado rookie before the All-Star Break in franchise history.

Hunter Goodman and Troy Johnston added an RBI apiece for Colorado, which won its ninth series of the season, surpassing its total from the entire 2025 season.

Victor Vodnik (3-3) picked up the win after throwing a shutout eighth inning while Smith (0-1) took the loss. Jordan Romano got his fifth save, striking out Willy Adames swinging with two outs and a runner on second.

Rafael Devers hit his team-leading 17th and 18th home runs for San Francisco. Casey Schmitt and Drew Gilbert also homered for the Giants.

Up next

• Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-7, 7.25) was scheduled in Los Angeles on Monday night against Dodgers LHP Eric Lauer (3-0, 2.88).
• Giants RHP Landen Roupp (5-8, 4.55) was set to oppose Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (4-7, 4.19) in San Francisco on Monday night.

Griffin Conine hit a three-run homer off the third-deck facade in right field and righty Sandy Alcantara improved to 6-0 in June as the rallied for a 10-7 win over the on Monday night.

Trailing 5-2 in the fifth, Otto Lopez started the inning with a solo homer. Conine entered the game as a pinch hitter and smashed a changeup from Victor Vodnik (2-3) that went an estimated distance of 433 feet to send the Marlins on their way to a seventh straight win over Colorado.

It was Conine’s first homer since April 8. He returned from the 60-day injured list on June 21 after being sidelined with a .

Alcantara (9-4) went 5 2/3 innings and surrendered five runs. The right-hander became the third pitcher in team history to finish 6-0 in a calendar month. The accomplished the feat in May 2016 and Chris Hammond in June 1993.

Miami finished with eight extra-base hits, including a two-run double from Leo Jiménez in the second and a bases-clearing triple from Javier Sanoja in the seventh. Sanoja also had a double and a single. He had a chance at the cycle in the ninth and popped out.

Hunter Goodman crushed a solo shot in the seventh for his 13th homer in June. The only other Rockies player to homer at least 13 times in a calendar month was Troy Tulowitzki with 15 in September 2010.

Rockies starter Sean Sullivan allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

TJ Rumfield began a three-run second inning with a single that extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

Up next

The Marlins will throw righty Eury Pérez (3-6, 4.41 ERA) on Tuesday night. Colorado has yet to name a starter.

___

AP MLB:

The latest exhibit was outfielder Jake McCarthy’s performance from the leadoff spot in the Rockies’ final-inning, 5-4 loss to Texas on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

Hitting in the top spot for the first time since March 31, McCarthy hit a single in the first, stole second, and scored on TJ Rumfield’s single. McCarthy scorched a triple to right-center to lead off the fifth and scored on Tyler Freeman’s single.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to steal bases in the first at-bat of the game, if you get on,” said McCarthy, who is slashing  326/.367/.587 across 15 games in May.  “That first inning was a good example of getting on … and it’s fun to make things happen.”

McCarthy is one of the fastest players in the majors. He showed off his speed with his triple, giving himself a green light from the jump.

“I think as an outfielder, I just know that the right-center gap, or even the left-center gap, is far away,” said McCarthy, whose three triples lead the team. “I know it’s going to take a really good throw to get me out at third. I’ve just got to find slug (slugging percentage) somehow, so I’m always looking to take extra bases.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer is excited about the prospect of McCarthy jumpstarting the offense from the top of the order.

“Jake has all of the skill set to hit at the top,” Schaeffer said. “In today’s game, it’s not necessary to have a bunch of speed to hit at the top, but it adds to it, for sure. His bat is really good right now and has been for a while.”

McCarthy appears to be in line to replace the slumping Edouard Julien in the leadoff spot. After batting .324 (23 for 71) during March/April, Julien is hitting a .065 (3 for 46) average and is 1 for 32 over his last 11 games.

Schaeffer definitely sees McCarthy — when he’s hot — as a game-changing weapon.

“That’s how Jake plays the game and you feel like he’s always going to take the extra base,” the manager said. “You felt like that when he was with the Diamondbacks and he did it against us. I know the feeling that puts on you — the pressure — so, we’re lucky to have him.”

Losing cause. Colorado fell to 5-13 in May and has not won a series this month after dropping two of three to Texas. The Rockies are 1-6 in rubber matches this season.

Wednesday’s loss was particularly harsh. The Rockies led 4-3 heading into the ninth and reliever Brennan Bernardino struck out Danny Jansen to open the inning. But Joc Pederson reached on catcher’s interference by Brett Sullivan, and then Justin Foscue and Alejandro Osuna singled to load the bases.

Juan Mejia replaced Bernardino, but Sullivan misplayed Mejia’s 0-1 fastball to Josh Jung, and Pederson scored, tying the game 4-4. Sullivan was charged with a passed ball. Jung then singled to drive in Foscue with the go-ahead run.

Asked to explain Colorado’s failure to win close ballgames, Schaeffer said, “There’s nothing to address. They know. They are in the process of learning how to win. We had exactly what we wanted there in the ninth inning. lt was just unfortunate, it didn’t work out. Some things just didn’t go our way today.”

Doyle’s injury. Center fielder Brenton Doyle injured his left side in the first inning of the Rockies’ 10-0 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night. He was not in the lineup on Wednesday. Doyle said he has a bruised left side and an oblique injury. It’s still unclear what the extent of the injury is. Schaeffer said the team will continue monitoring Doyle.

Also, struggling right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik (8.00 ERA) was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right ulnar nerve inflammation.

For openers. The Rockies have used an opener seven times this season to begin games. The results have been awful. The team is 1-6 with the openers posting a combined 12.71 ERA in those games.

Right-hander Jimmy Herget has opened three games, Bernardino two, and Sammy Peralta and Mejia one each.

Nonetheless, Schaeffer said the concept of using an opener is a good one.

“It’s been hit or miss, in terms of the results,” he said before Wednesday’s game. “But in theory, it is sound. The idea of an opener is to put up a zero in the first inning against the other team’s best hitters.

“And then having the second guy not have to face the team’s best hitters the third time through the order in a tight ballgame. In theory, it is sound. We just have to execute it.”

Pitching probables

Thursday: Rockies TBD at Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-1, 2.53 ERA), 7:40 p.m.
Friday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 4.02) at Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (6-2, 3.49), 7:40 p.m.
Saturday: Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-6, 7.03) at Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (2-4, 4.78), 8:10 p.m.
Sunday: Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (2-2, 4.08) at Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (1-3, 5.19), 2:10 p.m
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Right-handed reliever Juan Mejia pitched a solid ninth inning to scuttle Texas’s late-game rally and notch his third save.

“We did our best to stay away from Mejia tonight, just with the usage and workload he’s been taking on,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “With all of that going on, for him to come in and shut the door like that, when the momentum was clearly in their favor, that’s big time from Juan.

“You don’t want to take it for granted, but that’s just what Juan does. He’s calm and collected all of the time. Nothing gets to him.”

The Rangers rallied for three runs in the eighth, when they loaded the bases with no outs against struggling reliever Victor Vodnik (8.00 ERA). He gave up a leadoff double to Josh Yung, followed by two walks. Enter lefty reliever Brennan Bernardino, who got tagged for a two-run single by Ezequiel Duran, cutting Colorado’s lead to 7-5.

Bernardino walked to load the base again, and an RBI groundout by Alejandro Osuna made it 7-6. But Bernardio wriggled out of the inning by getting Kyle Higashioka to pop out to catcher Hunter Goodman in foul territory.

Before all of the late-game drama, the Rockies strung together multiple at-bats to build a big lead. Schaeffer has preached team offense ever since he took over as the interim boss last May. The Rockies delivered on Monday night, sending eight men to the plate in the first inning, five in the third, and six in the fourth.

“We just did what we have talked about, taking our walks and passing the baton on to the next guy,” Schaeffer said. “Just putting the ball in play. … Anyway, anyhow, we just kept going.”

Second baseman Willi Castro, hitting leadoff with lefty MacKenzie Gore on the mound for Texas, had a big night. Castro hit 2 for 4, blasting two doubles.

The first-pitch temperature was 44 degrees, and it rained on and off throughout the game, making for some adventures in the field and some errant throws. But veteran Rockies left-hander Jose Quintana pitched 5 2/3 innings.

“Even with the cold night, my stuff was pretty good,” he said. “I was a little worried about how the movement was going to be, with the cold night. But it was good. I felt locked in all game, attacking the zone.”

Quintana didn’t dominate, but as he’s done for most of the season, he put the Rockies in position to win. He’s pitched at least five innings in his starts at Coors Field this season, going 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA. Colorado is 10-4 at Coors Field when starters go at least five innings, but 0-9 when they don’t.

The Rangers touched Quintana for three runs on seven hits, but he never let the game spin out. Quintana’s nemesis was second baseman Justin Foscue, who hit an RBI double in the second, a solo homer in the fifth, and an RBI double in the sixth.

” ‘Q’ was awesome,” Schaeffer said. “In a situation where we need length because of our bullpen, we can count on ‘Q’ to give us all he has. He threw offspeed for strikes, kept them off-balance, kept them off the barrel.”

Quintana didn’t dominate, but as he’s done for most of the season, he put the Rockies in position to win. Colorado is 10-4 at Coors Field when starters go at least five innings, but 0-9 when they don’t.

Colorado struck early against Texas left-hander MacKenzie Gore, combining a leadoff double by Castro, two walks, and a two-run double by Ezequiel Tovar to take a 2-0 first-inning lead. Tovar, showing signs of breaking out of his season-long slump, was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Gore pitched just one inning, his start cut short by left lat tightness. He was making his first appearance against the Rockies since recording a career-high 13 strikeouts on May 19 of last season at Coors Field. He was pitching for Washington at the time.

The Rockies scored two runs in the third, taking advantage of two Texas errors, one by third baseman Josh Yung and the other by Duran at short. And the Rockies took a 6-1 lead in the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles by Brenton Doyle and TJ Rumfield.

Pitching probables

Tuesday: Rangers RHP Kumar Rocker (1-4, 4.34 ERA) at Rockies TBA, 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (1-4, 4.35) at Rockies TBA, 1:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Rockies center fielder Mickey Moniak finally broke the spell, poking a one-out single to left center in the seventh inning. Pittsburgh center fielder Oneil Cruz made a desperate dive for the ball but came up empty. So Skenes, who attended the Air Force Academy, had to settle for a merely mortal eight innings of two-hit, 10-strikeout pitching in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 victory.

Colorado’s other hit off Skenes was a one-out double by Troy Johnston in the eighth. The Rockies (16-26) lost for the ninth time in their last 11 games.

Key moments: The Pirates’ offense didn’t do much against Colorado pitching, but then, they didn’t need to. They took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Colorado right-hander Michael Lorenzen. Oneil Cruz led off with a double over Moniak’s head in center and scored on Nick Gonzalez’s two-out single.

Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead in the fifth, combining a Cruz double and a Brandon Lowe single off of Lorenzen. The Bucs tacked on a third run on Bryan Reynolds’ RBI single off Victor Vodnik in the seventh.

Colorado, blanked 6-0 by the Phillies on Sunday, avoided a second straight shutout on back-to-back doubles by Jordan Beck and Hunter Goodman in the ninth.

Who’s hot: Johnston, who reached on a hit-by-pitch in the fifth inning, was the only Rockies baserunner to get on twice. Johnston is hitting .328 with an .860 OPS. He’s hit safely in 16 of his last 18 starts, hitting .369 with nine RBIs over that span.

Who’s not: Edouard Julien, who’s been so good from the leadoff spot for most of the season, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout on Tuesday, his average dipping to .260. After hitting 2 for 18 with nine strikeouts on the last homestand, Julien is 1 for 7 on the current road trip.

Worth noting: Over his last eight starts, Skenes, the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner, has a 1.83 ERA. In his last start, he took a 1-0 decision over Arizona after allowing just two hits and striking out seven over eight scoreless innings last Wednesday. The right-hander is 9-1 with a 1.65 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 13 career starts vs. the National League West.

Pitching probables

Wednesday: Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (1-2, 3.90 ERA)at Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (4-1, 2.87 ERA), 4:40 p.m.
Thursday: Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.35) at Pirates RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3, 4.50 ERA), 10:35 a.m.
Friday: Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (2-3, 7.62) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-4, 6.00), 6:40 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Consider: This year’s team enters May with a 14-18 record. Last year’s trainwreck was 6-26 after 32 games. It’s a quantum leap, for sure, but manager Warren Schaeffer and “his boys,” as he calls them, were not satisfied after losing 6-4 to the Reds on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

The Rockies whiffed on their chance to turn a good road trip into a great one. After sweeping the Mets in three games in New York, Colorado dropped two of three in Cincinnati to finish the trip 4-2.

“It would have been better if it was (5-1), for sure, but we’ll take it,” Schaeffer told reporters. “But it was a good road trip for us. Anytime you get a winning record on the road, it’s a good thing. We look forward to going home and continuing tomorrow.”

Thursday, the Rockies failed to cash in on potential payoff innings, something that plagued them all last season when they hit .233 with runners in scoring position, second-lowest in the majors and the lowest in franchise history.

Colorado has been much better this season — .274, fourth-highest in the majors. On Thursday, they were a solid 3 for 7, but still failed to get the big hit in the big moment.

The Rockies’ would’ve, could’ve, should’ve inning was the fifth. They packed the bases, but Brenton Doyle grounded into a forceout at home and Hunter Goodman struck out on a 1-2 fastball by starter Andrew Abbott. In the seventh, Colorado had two on with two out, but reliever Connor Phillips whiffed Goodman on an 0-2 sweeper.

Goodman leads the team with nine home runs, but he also has a 38% strikeout rate.

“We had opportunities to add on with bases loaded in the fifth,” Schaeffer said. “We couldn’t push anything across, and they got the job done when they needed to.”

The Rockies’ pitching, excellent for most of the trip, was only so-so on Thursday. In the first five games, Colorado pitchers posted a 2.66 ERA, with 37 strikeouts and only 10 walks. Starters had put up a sterling 1.82 ERA.

However, Cincinnati tagged starter Michael Lorenzen for four runs on four hits (two homers) over 5 1/3 innings. Though he struck out five, he walked three, and a leadoff walk to Spencer Steer in the fifth was costly because TJ Friedl followed with a two-run homer. Nathaniel Lowe led off the second with a solo homer off Lorenzen.

“This ballpark is a nightmare to pitch in … I pitched here for seven years,” Lorenzen told reporters after his ERA climbed to 6.09. “This was a lot like my debut.”

The right-hander pitched his first big-league game 11 years and one day ago (April 29, 2015) at Great American Ball Park. In Cincy’s 8-3 loss to the Brewers, Lorenzen was charged with three runs on eight hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Thursday, Cincinnati buffered its lead with a two-run eighth off Victor Vodnik, the key hits a double by Tyler Stephenson and an RBI double by Steer. The inning proved costly for Colorado, as it rallied with two runs in the ninth but fell short. Vodnik’s ERA now sits at 7.82.

Tyler Freeman hit a two-run homer off Abbot in the first inning — Freeman’s first homer of the season — but the Reds’ excellent pitching staff silenced the Rockies for the next seven innings.

Colorado opens a six-game home stand against the Braves on Friday at Coors Field. The Braves, led by former Rockies player and manager Walt Weiss, have a 22-10 record, the best in the majors.

Pitching probables

Friday: Braves RHP Grant Holmes (2-1, 3.62 ERA) at Rockies LHP Jose Quintana (1-2, 4.91), 6:40 p.m.
Saturday: Braves LHP Chris Sale (5-1, 2.31) at Rockies TBA, 6:10 p.m.
Sunday: Braves TBA at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-2, 3.48), 1:10 p.m.

TV: Rockies TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM

Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

What����ap surprised you so far with the Rockies?

— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.

Wow, Ed, that is the question of the moment. Let me start by saying that there have been plenty of pleasant surprises in the early going. There have also been a few disappointments. Let’s get to it.

Good surprises

• Colorado’s 13-16 record. Heading into Tuesday’s game at Cincinnati, the club was on pace to finish 73-89. I don’t think the Rockies will win that many games, in large part because they might trade a few veteran starters in late July/early August, which could cost them some games. But the record is encouraging. Of course, I picked the Rockies to lose 102 games, so what do I know?

• Antonio Senzatela’s resurgence. I’ll be honest, I thought “Senza” was done, regardless of his role. But as I write this, he has a 0.50 ERA and looks like a different pitcher, dominating out of the bullpen. In fact, he is a different pitcher.  Senzatela threw his very hittable four-seam fastball 57% of the time last season, more often than all but 13 qualified pitchers in the majors. This season, he’s using his four-seamer just 37%, while incorporating his cutter (28%) and a sinker (12%), pitches he didn’t have in his repertoire last season.

• Mickey Moniak’s staying power. The No. 1 draft pick for the Phillies in 2016 had a good first season with the Rockies, but I wasn’t sure it was sustainable. Last season, Moniak set career highs in games (135), runs (62), hits (117), triples (eight), home runs (24), RBIs (68), stolen bases (nine), slugging (.519), and OPS (.824). Moniak has had hot streaks before, but then cooled off for long periods. But right now, he’s playing like an All-Star, slashing .316/.353/.684 with a team-high eight home runs.

• Troy Johnston’s hot start. When the Rockies claimed Johnston off waivers from the Marlins in November, I considered him a minor addition and a player for spring training depth and competition. It’s looking like I was way off base. Not only has Johnson slashed .315/.371/.449 with two homers and is tied for the team lead with 16 RBIs, but he’s brought fun and energy to the clubhouse.

•  Chase Dollander’s 180-degree turn. Everyone knows that the right-hander has ace-like stuff. However, harnessing that stuff was problematic last season (2-12, 6.65 ERA overall, 2-6, 9.98 ERA at Coors Field). But Dollander has been outstanding this season (3-2, 2.25 ERA, .200 batting average against), even though the Rockies have used an opener for all but one of his games.

Bad surprises

• Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s slow start. He looks lost at the plate right now and is hitting .200. He’s getting beat on fastballs up in the zone and waving over the top of sliders down and away. His strikeout rate is 30%, and his 48% chase rate is the highest in the majors. He’s too good a player for his slump to continue, but the trend is troubling.

• The slumps of Jordan Beck and Brenton Doyle. The Rockies need their defense in the outfield, but they are liabilities at the plate right now, which is why they are getting relatively limited playing time and hitting at the bottom of the order. Beck is hitting .154 with just three extra-base hits (one homer, two doubles). Doyle is hitting .208 with just three extra-base hits (one homer, two doubles). Entering the season, they were viewed as pillars of Colorado’s rebuild, but right now, they are players in limbo.

Patrick, we Rockies fans can clearly see the team is improved and more competitive this season. Do the players hear the same from opponents, and do you hear it from outside media?

— Dom, Longmont

Dom, I honestly don’t know how most opposing players view the Rockies. However, when the Padres were in Denver recently, several of their players said they thought the Rockies were a much-improved team.

I think a lot of media members — those who pay attention — understand that Colorado is better. Still, the stigma of three consecutive 100-loss seasons, including the 119-loss debacle last year, is hard to erase. For example, some of the New York Mets writers were apoplectic when the Rockies swept the Mets in Queens over the weekend. And an as the worst team in the majors, despite their much-improved record.

Patrick, do you agree that we’ve seen these two patterns so far in 2026? Pattern 1: You were precisely on target in projecting that the Rox will be improved, but probably won’t win 70 games this season. Pattern 2: The Rox are a Jekyll-and-Hyde team; alternating between playing a beautiful game one day and an ugly game the next (which is an improvement on three years of two or three ugly games for every one beauty).

And what does Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer see in Victor Vodnik? Is any Rox reliever less effective than Vodnik so far this year?

— Dave Stauffer, Denver

Dave, I agree with both your “patterns.” We’re going to see a lot of growing pains this season because the Rockies are still a flawed team. But give the players, coaching staff, and front office credit; they are at least a competitive team this season. That wasn’t the case last season when they had an almost unfathomable minus-424 run differential.

As for Vodnik, what Schaeffer sees is a pitcher who consistently throws 97-99 mph, can top 100 mph, and fearlessly attacks hitters. He can be erratic, as we saw last week when the Padres scored five runs off him in the ninth. But I wouldn’t give up on Vodnik.

We have two similar questions regarding Chase Dollander.

Chase Dollander seems to have kind of figured out his pitching. Do you think they’ll stay with an opener for him for a few more outings, or is this opener thing going to stick around for a while for his outings

— Kyle, Thornton

When the Rockies use an opener, why do they bring Chase Dollander in afterward? He is clearly the one handling most of the innings. Twice now, he has not been the starter but still pitched longer than any other pitcher. It seems easier to have him start the game.

— Freddy, Thornton

Guys, Dollander got the start in New York against the Mets and pitched seven strong innings. After the game, however, manager Warren Schaeffer was unclear whether he would continue to use Dollander as a traditional starter.

This is what I wrote:

“Dollander got his first official start of the season, as opposed to entering the game in the second inning after Colorado used an opener. Schaeffer said he doesn’t see a difference.

“No change from what he’s been doing,” he said. “Whether you start him or bring him out of the ‘pen, he’s going to be the same guy. It was just the state of the bullpen. We used a lot of leverage relievers in the first game, so it just made sense to start him.”

Schaeffer had previously said he thought that Dollander benefited from “the routine” of having an opener ahead of him, and also said that Dollander benefited from not having to face a batting order three times. We’ll see if Schaeffer sticks with that plan, especially now that right-hander Ryan Feltner is on the injured list with right ulnar nerve inflammation.

Colorado (13-16) completed the job by taking both games of Sunday’s doubleheader at Citi Field, beating the Mets, 3-1, in Game 1, and blanking the Mets, 3-0, in Game 2 behind a gritty seven-inning performance by starter Chase Dollander.

“This team doesn’t quit … this team is special,” Dollander told reporters in New York. “We have a chance to do something special. So keep an eye out for us. It’s going to be fun.”

The pressure was on Dollander to keep the Rockies rolling. Michael Lorenzen and Jose Quintana were both excellent in the first two victories over the Mets. All told, the three starters combined to pitch 19 1/3 innings and post an 0.93 ERA.

“That was huge, especially where we are with our (taxed) bullpen,” manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters. “We needed it, and the boys stepped up. That’s the thing about this team. When certain guys are down, or certain areas of the team are down, other guys are picking them up. That’s a good sign.”

The Rockies swept the Mets for the first time since May 4-6, 2018. More pertinently, they captured their third series of this season. That’s an illustration of how much better they are now compared to their dismal 2025 season. En route to 119 losses, Colorado did not win its third series until July 18-20 vs. Minnesota.

In Sunday’s Game 2, Troy Johnston smacked an RBI single to score Tyler Freeman to get Colorado on the board in the second. Hunter Goodman’s two-run home run off right-hander Kodai Senga in the third. Goodman’s seventh homer put the Rockies ahead 3-0.

That’s all they needed because Dollander dominated: seven strikeouts, five hits, and two walks as he reduced his ERA to chintzy 2.55. He gutted it out on a day when he didn’t have his best stuff and frequently got behind in counts.

Asked what was working, Dollander replied, “If you had asked me that in the fourth inning, I would have said nothing. But I think both fastballs were working — when I commanded them -and the slider was on another level. I just kept attacking and concentrated on pitching in the strike zone.”

Dollander got his first official start of the season, as opposed to entering the game in the second inning after Colorado used an opener. Schaeffer said he doesn’t see a difference.

“No change from what he’s been doing,” he said. “Whether you start him or bring him out of the ‘pen, he’s going to be the same guy. It was just the state of the bullpen. We used a lot of leverage relievers in the first game, so it just made sense to start him.”

In the first game of the afternoon, Quintana, the 37-year-old lefty, gave Colorado 5 1/3 superb innings. He was backed up by another shutdown performance from the bullpen and timely hits.

Improving Rockies’ early season hits, misses, questions and predictions | Journal

Boos rained down on the Mets from the fans in Queens after they lost for the 15th time in their last 17 games and have been outscored 87-39 during that span.

Quintana found himself in deep trouble in the first inning when the Mets packed the bases on walks by Bo Bichette and Luis Robert Jr., followed by a single by Mark Vientos. But Quintana struck out Marcus Semien and Brett Baty to escape the jam unscathed.

New York's only run off Quintana came in the fifth on a leadoff home run by Tyrone Taylor.

Johnston's bases-loaded single scored Edouard Julien in the fourth off Mets ace Nolan McLean, and his base-loaded double-play grounder scored Julien again in the sixth. Colorado scored its third run in the seventh on a leadoff double by Brett Sullivan and a one-out RBI single by Jake McCarthy.

Juan Mejia, Jaden Hill and Victor Vodnik combined to pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Vodnik rebounded from his painful blown save in Colorado's 10-8 loss to the Padres on Thursday to pitch a perfect ninth and claim his fourth save.

Pitching probables

Monday: Off day
Tuesday: Rockies TBD at Reds RHP Chase Burns (2-1, 2.57 ERA), 4:40 p.m.
Wednesday: Rockies TBD at Reds LHP Brandon Williamson (2-2, 5.40), 4:40 p.m.
Thursday: Rockies TBD at Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (0-2, 6.59), 10:40 a.m.

TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA NewsRadio 850 AM & 94.1 FM;

“The ultimate goal is to bring consistent winning seasons to this organization,” Schaeffer said on the day he slipped off the interim tag and was officially named Rockies manager. “You’re going to see winning baseball in Denver a lot sooner than you think.”

Raise your hand if you were skeptical.

I don’t blame you. Three consecutive 100-loss seasons, topped off by last year’s 119-loss disaster, tend to squeeze the optimism out of even the most positive fans. But Scheaffer might be on to something.

Entering Sunday’s doubleheader vs. the Mets (Saturday’s game at Citi Field was rained out), the Rockies are 11-16. They have been solid at home (7-6), though predictably wobbly on the road (4-10). They are on pace to finish 66-96, which would be a 23-game improvement from last season. I picked the Rockies to lose 102 games, so they are exceeding my expectations — at least in the early going.

Some very early observations, questions, and predictions with 16.6% of the season in the books:

The bullpen has been excellent: Even with the Padres’ ninth-inning rally vs. Victor Vodnik last Thursday, the relievers have been the best thing about the Rockies this season. Colorado’s 3.77 ERA ranks 12th in the majors, and considering the Coors Field factor, that’s pretty good. Former starter Antonio Senzatela looks reborn. He’s given up two runs over 18 innings (0.50 ERA) with 18 strikeouts vs. four walks.

Is the bullpen’s excellence sustainable? History tells us no. The wear and tear of the season usually causes Rockies relievers to implode in August and September. Schaeffer and the front office are well aware of that history, which is a reason why we’re seeing Colorado use so many “bulk relievers.” Pitchers like Jimmy Herget, Chase Dollander and Senzatela have been purposely scheduled for multiple innings, with the hope that late-game relievers won’t be toast in August. We’ll see if it works.

Can Dollander become a true ace? Yes, he can. It’s not just that his stats — 2.88 ERA, .198 batting average against, 32 strikeouts vs. seven walks — but his demeanor, self-confidence, and easy power that give him a chance to be great. Of course, a true ace doesn’t have a reliever opening games for him, but I imagine that set up is going to change sooner rather than later.

Who’s a possible All-Star? Right now, the Rockies have two candidates — catcher Hunter Goodman (.264 average, .870 OPS, six homers) and outfielder Mickey Moniak (.315, 1.050, eight). But there are two caveats here. First, Goodman’s 37.3% strikeout rate is much too high. Second, Moniak has had hot streaks before. Can he be productive for a full season?

But wouldn’t it be cool if Moniak gets to play in the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia? Remember, the Phillies selected him with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft.

Ezequiel Tovar will play better: The shortstop has not played well thus far, at least not by his standards. His .967 fielding percentage ranks 10th in the majors, his 3.70 range factor is ninth, and his 0.0 DWAR ranks 23rd. His numbers will improve because he’s a talented, athletic shortstop who could still end up in the Gold Glove conversation.

However, Tovar looks lost at the plate right now, as evidenced by his .216/.255/.330 slash line that includes just one home run.  His strikeout rate is 28.4%, his walk rate is just 2.9%, and his chase rate is a very hight 48.5%. Those are reasons why he’s hitting low in Schaeffer’s lineup.

When Tovar hit .269 with 26 homers and 45 doubles in 2024, I thought he was just getting warmed up. It’s early, but he needs to become a more disciplined hitter to become the star so many envisioned.

What’s up with Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck? There have been flashes that they could be pillars of the Rockies’ outfield for years to come. That’s not happening right now.

Beck isn’t getting on base consistently (.204 on-base percentage), so he’s not getting consistent playing time, which, in turn, is part of the reason why he’s hitting just .160 with one home run. He’s in no-man’s land right now. He might be a slow starter, but he’s going to need to earn more at-bats to climb out of his funk. That’s not easy in the big leagues.

Doyle is beginning to hit the ball hard again, and the Rockies need his defense in center field. But he’s striking out 35% of the time, and his track record shows he’s a streak hitter. Right now, he’s slashing .219/.288/.288 with one home run and a .143 average with runners in scoring position. The jury is still out on his future.

TJ Rumfield is a real find: The rookie first baseman is everything that former first baseman Michael Toglia was not. In Friday night’s win over the Mets, he put together a seven-pitch at-bat against Freddie Peralta with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Rumfield didn’t get a hit, but he grounded out and scored a run. He takes unselfish at-bats, which is not always easy for a rookie. He’s hitting a solid .292 (7 for 24) with runners in scoring position.

Major decisions loom for the front office: Paul DePodesta, president of baseball operations, has been progressive since taking over the front office — pitch-calling “suggestions” from the dugout, a lot of new people on staff, and beefing up the analytics department.

Former general manager Bill Schmidt was criticized for holding on to players and getting nothing in return. So I’ll be curious to see how many veteran starters DePodesta will put on the market as the Aug. 3 trade deadline comes into view. Right-handers Michael Lorenzen and Tomoyuki Sugano, and lefty Jose Quintana, are all pitching on one-year deals. Lorenzen has a $9 million club option for 2027, but I doubt the Rockies will pick it up. Senzatela is also in the final year of his contract.

The wild-card here is lefty Kyle Freeland, who’s in his 10th year with the Rockies. He’s pitched terrifically so far, but his stint on the injured list means his player option likely won’t kick in. He needs to pitch 170 innings for his $17,000 option to vest for 2027.

The Rockies’ late-game reliever took note of a leadoff walk that haunted him, expressed frustration about the groundballs that found holes, and took responsibility for a poorly executed pitch that turned a significant Rockies’ victory into a stinging 10-8 defeat.

Leading the Padres 8-5 entering the ninth at Coors Field on Thursday afternoon, the Rockies were on the cusp of clinching the three-game series. But Vodnik walked Jackson Merrill, and then saw Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Miguel Andujar rap out groundball singles.

Then Vodnik threw a first-pitch cutter to Gavin Sheets. Bang: a three-run 379-foot homer down the right-field line. Ecstasy to agony.

“On the Gavin Sheets homer, it was a pitch I didn’t execute,” said Vodnik, who was charged with his second loss and his second blown save as his ERA spiked to 7.59. “It was a backup cutter. The Padres did a good job of executing, and I got a bit unlucky on those groundballs, and I didn’t execute when I had to.”

It was the second time this season that Sheets crushed Colorado. On April 10 at Petco Park, Sheets hit a three-run, walk-off home run off Roberto Mejia to beat the Rockies, 5-2.

Wasted in Colorado’s defeat on Thursday was left fielder Mickey Moniak’s 4-for-5 performance that included two solo home runs. Adding oomph to the gut-punch loss was the injury suffered by starter Ryan Feltner.

Feltner pitched just two innings before being removed from the game because of right triceps tightness. Starting second baseman Willi Castro departed after three innings because of pain in the patella tendon in his right knee.

“We have been working on (the triceps) in the training room for the last few days, and it just got a little tight in the second inning, so we took precautions,” Feltner explained.

His anger was evident on the mound at the end of the second when he snapped his glove when he struck out Jake Cronenworth to end the inning.

“That wasn’t the exact moment (of the injury), but that was frustration there,” he said.

Feltner said that the concern of a major injury is “pretty low,” but added, “There is no prognosis right now.”

Castro said the decision to pull him from the game was precautionary and said he didn’t expect to miss much playing time.

Moniak, meanwhile, continues flashing star power. Ten years after he was the first player selected in the major league draft, he’s playing as if he belongs in the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia in July.

After batting .270 and hitting 24 homers for the Rockies last season, he’s hitting .324 with a 1.097 OPS this season. He believes the Rockies are making strides, but couldn’t hide his disappointment in letting a win slip away.

“At the end of the day, the name of the game is to win.  We weren’t able to get that done, but that’s baseball,” said the 27-year-old Moniak, who was selected in the first round by the Phillies in 2016 out of La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif.

“Vic has been huge for us this year, but he just had a tough day,” Moniak continued. “That’s how it goes sometimes. I have all the confidence in the world in that guy. As much as this one hurts, we have to move forward.”

The Rockies begin a six-game, seven-day road trip in New York on Friday when they play the Mets at Citi Field. Moniak expects the Rockies to rebound from Thursday’s loss.

“I think so,” he said. “It’s been a year so far, with a lot of highs and some lows. Now it’s just going to be about finding that consistent high and figuring out ways to win baseball games. As bad as this one sucked, we had a .500 homestand against two good teams (Dodgers and Padres), and we easily could have been above .500 on the homestand.”

Pitching probables

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.

Sunday: Rockies TBD at Mets RHP Nolan McLean (1-1, 2.67)

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