Every game presents a challenge for the Rockies’ floundering offense. Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Padres presented a unique puzzle the Rockies couldn’t solve.
San Diego started knuckleball right-hander Matt Waldron, who had no problems making his pitch dance in the mile-high atmosphere at Coors Field. Over six innings, he gave up one run on four hits and struck out five.
The one run he surrendered came in the sixth on Ryan McMahon’s one-out, 444-foot solo homer to right-center. It was McMahon’s third homer of the season.
The Rockies, who have yet to win back-to-back games this season, fell to 6-19.
Waldron throws a knuckleball 35% of the time, but there was nothing frivolous about his approach Wednesday night. He went right after the Rockies, mixing in his sinker, four-seam fastball and a cutter.
The Rockies had some chances, but as has been the case so often this season, they couldn’t deliver a clutch hit. In the fourth inning, Colorado loaded the bases on back-to-back walks by Ezequiel Tovar and McMahon and an infield single by Elias Diaz. But Elehuris Montero swung at Waldron’s first pitch and fouled out to first baseman Jake Cronenworth. Then Brenton Doyle grounded out to third.
This season, with runners in scoring position and two outs, the Rockies have hit .136 (11-for-81) with 24 strikeouts. In the sixth, with two outs and runners in scoring position, Brendan Rodgers grounded out to short.
Rockies starter Ty Blach pitched well for four-fifths of his start. But the first inning was his undoing. San Diego scored four runs on three hits and two walks off the lefty, who was making his first big-league start of the season.
Xander Bogaerts led off the game with a solid single to left and Fernando Tatis Jr. followed up with a walk. Blach got Cronenworth to pop out to left field but then he walked Jurickson Profar to jam the bases — a killer mistake at Coors Field’s wide-open spaces.
Ha-Seong Kim blooped a cheap double into shallow right field to score two runs, Jackson Merrill hit a sacrifice fly, and Eguy Rosario added an RBI single to give the Padres a 4-0 lead.
The Rockies have been running uphill all season, having been outscored 35-7 in the first inning.
San Diego’s lead grew to 5-0 in the sixth. Profar looped a leadoff single to left field off reliever Victor Vodnik and Kim put down a bunt for a base hit. When McMahon threw wildly from third base, Profar advanced to third. Profar scored on Merrill’s groundout to second.
Thursday’s pitching matchup
Padres RHP Randy Vasquez (0-1, 1.80 ERA) at Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (0-4, 5.06)
1:10 p.m. Thursday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Hudson remains winless through his first four starts with Colorado. He’s coming off a loss to Seattle on Saturday at Coors Field when he allowed four runs on seven hits and five walks over four innings. He struck out one. Walks continue to be a problem for Hudson. The right-hander has faced the Padres three times in his career, going 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA that includes seven strikeouts and three walks.
Although Vasquez struggled in his three starts with Triple-A El Paso before being called up last Saturday, he gave the Padres a solid start against Toronto in his 2024 major league debut. He limited the Blue Jays to one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings. With Yu Darvish out with a neck injury, the Padres need Vasquez to give them one of two more solid starts. The rookie has not faced the Rockies.
Pitching probables
Friday: Off day
Saturday: Astros RHP Ronel Blanco (2-0, 1.33) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-4, 4.32), 2:05 p.m. in Mexico City