The Colorado Rockies lost to the Washington Nationals Saturday night, 12-2. The Rockies are now 90-71 on the season.
Rockies’ starting pitcher Jon Gray was unable to deliver a strong start for Colorado. Gray was off his game from the get-go, allowing two singles before surrendering an RBI double to Juan Soto, establishing a 2-0 lead for Washington.
Gray’s struggles continued into the second inning where Washington platted an additional three runs, including a no-doubt home run off the bat of Trae Turner.
The second inning would be the last for Gray who departed with a line of 2.0 innings pitched, allowing five runs on seven hits.
There were high expectations for Gray entering the game as the 26-year-old was supposed to be the front man of the Rockies young rotation this season. Gray’s lousy performance only adds to the narrative that he struggles to pitch under pressure, having subpar performances in many of the high leverage games he has started, including last year’s National League Wild Card game and his two opening day starts.
Carlos Gonzalez was able to give the Rockies some life in the bottom half of the second inning by hitting a solo home run to center field, making the score 5-1.
Soto drove in his third run of the game in the fifth inning where he hit a solo home run off of Rockies’ pitcher Chad Bettis.
All-Star Nolan Arenado hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 6-2. Arenado’s blast would be the last run Colorado would score in the game to put a cap on what was an underwhelming night through and through for the Rockies.
Washington went on to score another six runs in the ballgame against Colorado’s bullpen.
Saturday’s loss now presents a bit of a pickle for the Rockies for a couple of reason’s. Since Gray was unable to provide Colorado with longevity in his start, their bullpen is a bit taxed which could cause problems in Sunday’s game and beyond.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won in their game vs the San Francisco Giants Saturday, meaning the Rockies will need to win tomorrow afternoon and have the Dodgers lose to capture the National League West title. A loss and a Dodgers win would make the Rockies a Wild Card team for the second consecutive season. If both club’s win (or lose) they will both finish with identical record’s which would force them to play in a game 163 to decide which team wins the division and which will play in the Wild Card round.
The Rockies and Nationals are set to face off Sunday afternoon at Coors Field with first pitch set for 1:10 MST. Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young award winner, is expected to take the mound for Washinton tomorrow in an attempt to spoil the Rockies chance at capturing the first division title in franchise history. It is not known who the Rockies will start Sunday; however, the idea of rolling out German Marquez on short rest makes sense considering the circumstances. Other options include Antonio Senzatela and Tyler Anderson.
