Rockies light up the L column, reach 4-20

Rockies Report, Games 23 and 24

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Colorado’s second doubleheader in five days was a faceplant.

Playing two games at Kauffman Stadium after Wednesday night’s contest was postponed due to storms, the Rockies dropped both ends of the twin bill, 7-4 and 6-2.

Colorado fell to a mile-low 4-20 and matched the franchise record for consecutive road losses with 13, a standard last set from May 10 through June 2 in the 2008 campaign.

This is also tied for the fifth-worst record through 24 games in the modern era of MLB history.

STARTER’S REPORT: Germán Márquez took the mound in the opener with a 1-0 lead. By the end of the frame, the lead was gone, and the troubles began for Márquez.

He surrendered a leadoff double to Maikel Garcia, hit Bobby Witt Jr. and then yielded a 2-RBI double to Salvador Perez, putting Colorado in a 2-1 hole. Another lead — this one coming via a 2-run Hunter Goodman blast — evaporated in the bottom of the third inning after four consecutive Royals reached base; Michael Massey and Drew Waters delivered RBI singles to tie the score.

Mickey Moniak nearly came up with a diving catch of Massey’s fly ball to get the Rockies out of the third inning unscathed, but the ball slipped from his glove as he hit the grass.

Finally, a pair of walks to lead off the fifth ended Márquez’s day. Jake Bird relieved him, and after recording a pair of outs, loaded the bases when he hit Waters, then surrendered a laser ground ball that bounced off Michael Toglia’s glove, scoring two runners credited to Márquez.

In Game 2, Chase Dollander kept the ball in the yard for the first time in his major-league starts, but after a 1-2-3 first inning, struggled to retire batters, as the Royals chipped away at him. Leadoff batters reached base in the second and third innings, leading to runs that allowed Kansas City to eke in front 2-0 heading into the fifth.

The dam burst with two outs in the fifth. Four consecutive Royals reached base, starting with a Jonathan India double. Bobby Witt Jr. singled, Vinny Pasquantino walked and Perez delivered a 2-RBI double. Three runs came home before Jaden Hill relieved Dollander.

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Game 1 was lost when the Royals tacked on two runs in the fifth. Game 2 slipped away after a rally in the top of the ninth petered out. Aaron Schunk and Brenton Doyle reached base on back-to-back one-out singles to open the frame, but Sean Bouchard and Ryan McMahon couldn’t advance them, ending the threat.


ROCKIES NUMBER TO NOTE: 3 — Home runs for Jordan Beck during the doubleheader, matching his career total (200 at-bats) coming into Thursday.

WHAT’S NEXT: Colorado comes back home for a six-game homestand that begins with three contests against the Cincinnati Reds. The series begins Friday night at 6:40 p.m. Kyle Freeland is expected to return to the mound after leaving his last start early due to a blister.

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