Head bowed, hands on his knees, German Marquez struck a pose befitting the Rockies’ season.
The right-hander had just served up a two-run homer to Chicago second baseman Lenyn Sosa, putting the Rockies in a 5-2 hole in the second inning. When Marquez’s night was done after six innings, the hole was 6-2.
Given the Rockies’ all-too-familiar failure to hit in the clutch, they looked doomed. They were.
And so it goes for the Rockies, who lost, 10-3, to the White Sox on Saturday night at Coors Field in front of a fireworks crowd of 47,351.
Colorado, 20-69, fell to 9-36 at home and has now lost all 15 home series this season. The team is still searching for its first back-to-back home wins of the season. The Rockies have now lost 17 straight series at home, dating back to last season. That matches the longest home series losing streak in major league history. The Rockies are tied with the Philadelphia Athletics’ 17-series drought from June 1916 to May 1917.
The White Sox (30-59) — the majors’ worst road team and the American League’s worst team overall — won the series opener on Friday night, 3-2.
Marquez, who had been on a nice run until Saturday’s game, didn’t pitch well. But then, he didn’t receive much offensive support. Colorado went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position after opening the night 2 for 2 in clutch.
“Tonight (we left runners on), but I think there has been progress,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Over the past month (we’ve improved), but it happened a lot tonight. We had a lot of opportunities to score in this one. We gave ourselves chances.”
Colorado’s fifth-inning at-bat was a snapshot of frustration. Rookie right fielder Yanquiel Fernandez led off with a single to right and advanced to third on a double by hot-hitting right fielder Tyler Freeman. Second and third, nobody out, and the Rockies were in business.
But they couldn’t cash in. Hunter Goodman lined out to second short, Jordan Beck flew out to second, and Thairo Estrada grounded out to short.
Colorado’s seventh inning was a facsimile of the fifth. It had the bases packed with nobody out, but Chicago reliever Jordan Leasure struck out Beck with a slider in a nine-pitch at-bat, and Thairo Estrada grounded to third baseman Josh Rojas, who started an inning-ending double play.
“We gave ourselves every opportunity but it comes down to: ‘Who’s the pressure on in that situation?’ ” Schaeffer said. “I think we all know that the pressure is on the pitcher, but easier said than done. It’s a learning process for this group.”
Early on, Colorado’s offense looked primed to bust out against right-hander Jonathan Cannon. Freeman led off the first with a single, extending his career-high on-base streak to 20 games. Goodman followed with a double, and Beck drove them both home with a bloop single to right, tying the game at 2-all.
Yet, despite several scoring opportunities, Cannon held Colorado in check for the rest of his start. Over 5 1/3 innings, he gave up eight hits, but just two runs, walking two and striking out one.
Related Articles
-
Rockies’ Coors Field misery continues vs. road-challenged White Sox
-
Charlie Condon, Rockies’ top prospect, learning lessons climbing minor league ladder
-
Rockies Journal: White Sox series is a history lesson for reeling Colorado
-
Kyle Freeland brushes off bad luck, gives Rockies six solid innings
-
Rockies hang on, beat Astros behind Thairo Estrada’s big day
Marquez entered the night on a roll. He had a 2.70 ERA with 40 strikeouts over his last eight starts. But the White Sox hit him hard and often. In a two-run first, Sosa — who had a career-high four RBIs — hit a one-out double. Brooks Baldwin drove in Sosa with a two-out double to right, and rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery drove in Baldwin with a triple to right.
“I wasn’t making good pitches early and they took advantage,” Marquez said. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I don’t know why, because I was feeling good. … I didn’t have a good feel for the first two innings but I had to battle to give us a chance.”
Marquez (3-10, 5.62 ERA) gave up 11 hits, walked one, and struck out two.
One ray of light for Colorado was a leadoff, pinch-hit homer in the eighth by Brenton Doyle. It was the first pinch-hit homer of Doyle’s career. It came during a three-game stretch when Schaeffer and hitting coach Clint Hurdle decided it would benefit Doyle to not be in the starting lineup and work extensively in the batting cage.
“It was pretty cool,” Doyle said. “To do the work in the cage and see immediate results like that is great for confidence-building, for sure.”
The White Sox had 15 hits, topped off by Michael A. Taylor’s two-run homer off lefty reliever Ryan Rolison in the ninth.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
Source:: News Denver – Denver Post
About Author
