Rockies sunk by three errors, five Dodgers homers, settle for four-game split

DENVER — Rockies Report, Game 23:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: After sprinting in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning when Jordan Beck and Brenton Doyle burst from the starter’s block with back-to-back doubles, the Rockies saw their fragile lead evaporate one inning later when Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas took Jose Quintana deep for solo homers in a three-pitch span.

Max and Miggy go back-to-back! pic.twitter.com/ZVKiO7lYsB

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 21, 2026

That ignited a 9-0 burst that lasted until the eighth inning, by which time the damage was done in what would be a 12-3, series-ending defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of 27,261 at Coors Field on Monday night.

“A night to forget,” manager Warren Schaeffer said.

The Rockies lost their chance for their first series win over the Dodgers since 2022.

After the first inning, the game was rarely in doubt. Colorado overcame a José Quintana error to escape the first inning unscathed, but the onslaught began immediately thereafter.

The Rockies pounded out 11 hits, but left four runners on base in the first two innings and another pair on in the fifth inning, squelching their chances to keep pace.

“I don’t think we took bad at-bats at all tonight,” Schaeffer said. “According to my calculations, we hit 15 balls hard tonight — which is a lot of hard-hit balls.”

TJ Rumfield hit his third home run of the season; he wasn’t in the lineup to open the game, but checked in during the first inning after Tyler Freeman left due to an illness.

“It was dizziness out there in the first inning. He had a tough time seeing,” Schaeffer said. “A little bit of a scary situation.”

Colorado dropped to 9-14.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Quintana’s frustrating start to the season continued, as he yielded eight runs and a walk with a balk over five-plus innings in his first home start since joining the Rockies. Four of the six runs at his expense were earned; a Kyle Karros error in the third inning exacerbated the damage.

“I thought he battled. I thought he got hurt when he got behind in counts,” Schaeffer said after the game. “I don’t think it was the cleanest game behind him; we didn’t play great defense tonight — uncharacteristically. It was one to forget.”

The 37-year-old veteran hasn’t missed many bats in his three starts. He recorded one strikeout for the second-consecutive start, both of which have come since a brief stint on the injured list. His strikeout-to-walk ratio through three starts is 0.44.

His four strikeouts over three 2026 starts is his second-fewest for any three-game stretch of starts of his career, per Baseball Reference. Only as a rookie in 2012 from July 19-30 did he ever have three starts with fewer strikeouts (three). He’ll have more chances, and the season is early, but it’s not the start he wanted.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Gordon walked Alex Call with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, bringing home Muncy to push the Dodgers’ edge to 6-1. The Rox went down 1-2-3 in the sixth, then Los Angeles tacked on another run via a sacrifice bunt and a Gordon error — the Rockies’ third of the game — in the seventh.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 3 — Hits for Jordan Beck on Monday night; he came into the night 5-for-41 to start the season, but Schaeffer put him in the leadoff spot for the first time this season working against Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski. “It was a good step forward for J.B.,” Schaeffer said. “I thought he looked on the ball. He looked aggressive. He looked himself.”

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rockies begin a three-game series with the Padres, who swept them in San Diego to start their previous road swing. Randy Vásquez will start for San Diego; Colorado’s starter is officially to be determined, but Chase Dollander is expected to receive much of the work following an opener, as he did last Thursday in Houston. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. MDT.

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