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COLORADO ROCKIES

Rockies shelled early, dig 7-run hole in loss at Cleveland

Rockies pitcher Tanner Gordon shut out the Cardinals last week, but this start was far different as Cleveland rocked him.

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Rockies Report, Game 107:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Tanner Gordon’s pattern of steady improvement in his starts crashed against a wall in Cleveland on Tuesday night as the Guardians clobbered him for seven runs off eight hits and a walk in the first three innings, propelling them to a 10-4 win over the Rockies on Tuesday night.

The Rox didn’t get on the scoreboard until Jordan Beck’s solo home run — his 12th of the season — narrowed the deficit to 7-1. But Cleveland piled on three more runs — one each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings against Colorado’s bullpen — before the Rox finally sustained some consistent offense late via a Michael Toglia solo home run in the seventh, a Warming Bernabel RBI double in the eighth and a Kyle Farmer solo homer in the ninth.

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Bernabel’s double was part of a 2-for-4 night as he improved his average to .400 in his sizzling start to his major-league career on this road trip.

Every Rockies player in the starting lineup but Hunter Goodman, hitting in the cleanup spot, posted at least one hit. But against the Guardians’ onslaught, it was far from sufficient.

Colorado is 28-79.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Gordon shut out the St. Louis Cardinals in his last start — Colorado’s first shutout in 220 games — before the Rockies began this current road trip, but this start went awry early, starting with a five-pitch walk of Steven Kwan.

In the first and third innings, he allowed the first two batters to reach base. In the second, Gordon conceded a leadoff single to David Fry, then allowed him to advance to second on a balk.

Gordon walked two, allowed a two-run homer to Kyle Manzardo in the third inning and had the afore-mentioned balk in the roughest start of his five major-league outings this season.

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Relieved after three innings and 71 pitches, Angel Chivilli, Jimmy Herget and Jaden Hill carried the Rox the rest of the way. Only Hill managed to emerge unscathed, working a scoreless eighth inning; his ERA stands at 1.93 through five major-league appearances this season.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Brayan Rocchio capped the damage at Gordon’s expense with a two-out, two-RBI triple off the wall despite the best effort of a lunging Beck to push the Guardians’ lead to 7-0.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .400 — Cleveland’s average with two outs against Gordon, with four of the seven runs at his expense coming on two-out RBI hits — a Gabriel Arias single and the Rocchio triple.

WHAT’S NEXT: Colorado goes for the series and a winning road trip in the finale at Progressive Field. Kyle Freeland will start for the Rockies; Kolby Allard gets the nod for the Guardians. First pitch is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. MDT.

Andrew Mason Senior Broncos Writer

Andrew Mason is the Senior Broncos Writer for denversports.com. Mase is in his 28th season covering the NFL and his 23rd on the Broncos beat. In addition to 12 seasons working with the Broncos and two working with the Carolina Panthers, Mase has also… Read more

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