The Rockies pieced together a decent late rally, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an eight-run deficit on Monday night at Coors Field.
The game capped off an action-packed day that included the Rockies trading Brenton Doyle, Antonio Senzatela and Victor Vodnik.
This one got out of hand early as Tampa Bay (66-46) jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings. It was too big a hole to crawl out of as the Rockies dropped to 45-68.
Ezequiel Tovar went 4-for-4
with a homer and Mickey Moniak added his 18th homer of the season to try to help the Rockies, but they couldn’t keep up with the hard-hitting, speedy Rays. It didn’t help that the Rockies struck out nine times in the first six innings against Tampa Bay’s Ian Seymour.
In the final box score, both teams posted 15 hits, but the Rays made them count more. The Rockies went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven guys on base, while Tampa Bay went 6-for-14 and only left five on base.
Lorenzen stung early, Gordon blasted later
It only took the Rays three innings to record seven hits — including one homer — three stolen bases, three walks and seven runs. Junior Caminero hit a two-run shot for his 31st homer of the season in the first inning to put the Rockies behind right off the bat.
In the second, Chandler Simpson and Richie Palacios hit back-to-back singles and then Lorenzen walked Kenny Piper, who was making his MLB debut, to load the bases with no outs. Taylor Walls hit a two-run single, Yandy Díaz hit a sac fly and Walls stole second and moved to third on a throwing error from Hunter Goodman to move into scoring position for Jonathan Aranda’s RBI single. Caminero hit into a double play to avoid further damage, but it was 6-0 after two innings.
Two more walks, another stolen base and a single in the third gave the Rays a touchdown after three innings and ended Lorenzen’s night. To get nine outs, Lorenzen needed 75 pitches. His record dropped to 3-10 and his ERA increased to 6.94.
“I just didn’t think he was in the zone enough. That’s all,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “…When you are behind in counts to a good hitting team, it’s probably not going to go that well, especially here at Coors Field.”
Tanner Gordon relieved Lorenzen in the fourth. Caminero hit his 32nd homer of the season, but otherwise, Gordon retired nine out of the first 10 batters he faced through the sixth inning. Schaeffer said he thought Gordon was “extremely efficient.”
“That’s what TG does for us. He gives us a chance there to come back,” Schaeffer said. “Just pounding the zone with his stuff and early contact, which is all good. It’s what you want to hear.”
Trouble came in the seventh when the Rays added two more and continued to add to their lead, which came in handy in the end. Gordon finished with six runs — only four of which were earned — on eight hits, including two homers, with three strikeouts and no walks in six innings.
Seymour strikes out more
The biggest reason the Rockies couldn’t keep up with the Rays on the scoreboard was Seymour. The part-time starter went six solid innings and registered nine strikeouts. He held the Rockies to two runs on seven hits with no walks thanks to a nasty changeup that drew 11 swings and misses.
“He pounded the strike zone,” Schaeffer said of Seymour. “He used his changeup well. Left-on-left changeup was good. He’s a good pitcher and we knew that coming in.”
Despite giving up triples to Willi Castro and Moniak, each with only one out, neither was able to come in to score.
Seymour and Michael Grove, who pitched the final three innings, were also aided by outstanding defense throughout the game. The first came from Richie Palacios when he climbed the stairs to rob Jake McCarthy of a base hit with runners at first and second in the fifth inning.
In the seventh, Victor Mesa Jr. took away extra bases from Cole Carrigg with this catch in front of the out-of-town scoreboard.
Tovar time
It’s no secret that Tovar has struggled this season. On Monday night, he looked more like his old self.
He went 4-for-4 in his first multi-hit game since July 3, while also scoring four runs. And it started with a bang. In the third inning, he connected for his ninth homer of the year to put the Rockies on the board. The solo shot went 398 feet to left center field.
He added a single in the fifth and came around to score on an RBI single from Kyle Karros to score the Rockies first two runs of the game.
In the seventh, Tovar scored again. Troy Johnston led off with a double and Tovar followed up with a single. After McCarthy hit a sac fly to score Johnston, Karros hit another single to plate Tovar and make it 10-4.
Tovar added a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth as well. He came around to score immediately when McCarthy doubled.
“It was awesome to see Tovy have that night. Good for him. He’s been looking for that for a while,” Schaeffer said. “Three hard-hit balls and that was a tough matchup there in the ninth for him with another base hit. I just saw a balanced, ready-to-go hitter. Hopefully, he can carry that over.”
Tovar did make an error in the field after he was unable to come up with a ground ball in the middle of a two-run seventh inning from Tampa Bay. Both runs were unearned.
Moniak’s big day
On the same night the Rockies announced plans for a two-year extension with Moniak that will likely be finalized on Tuesday, Moniak tripled and hit his 18th homer of the season. It was a blast, too, measuring 447 feet.
Moniak finished the night with a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth for his 49th RBI of the season.
Carrigg hit an RBI double and Hunter Goodman added a sac fly in the ninth-inning rally that came up too short.
Up next
The Rockies and Rays will face off again on Tuesday. RHP Gabriel Hughes (0-3, 3.33) will start for the Rockies, while RHP Freddy Peralta (5-9, 4.99 ERA) will likely make his Tampa Bay debut after being traded from the New York Mets earlier on Monday.
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