Rockies suffer first 1-0 home loss since 2006 despite Dollander’s dazzling night

DENVER — Rockies Report, Game 24:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Chase Dollander was spectacular in his six innings of work Tuesday night, recording a career-high-matching nine strikeouts against one walk while allowing just one run. But the Rockies could get nothing started against San Diego’s Randy Vásquez, and that led to a defeat unlike any the hometown side has endured at Coors Field in nearly two decades.

In falling 1-0 to the Padres on Tuesday night, the Rox absorbed only the fourth 1-0 home loss in club history and the first such defeat since Aug. 1, 2006 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Limited to three hits — all singles — that represented their only baserunners of the night — Colorado batters spent most of the night flailing as Vásquez’s cutter confounded them.

But that won’t be what lingers from this game.

What matters most was the performance of Dollander, the club’s first-round pick in 2023, who turned in arguably his best performance to date.

“He was great tonight,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Chase attacked the strike zone with his heater. His four-seamer was really good. His attack angle — fastball, slider mainly today.”

Dollander worked in his change-up, but acknowledged “the shape was just not there at all” with it. He also worked in his curveball and his sweeper, the latter of which “felt really good,” he noted. With two-seam and four-seam fastballs, he had six different pitches, and despite what he felt was varying degrees of effectiveness, the variety and selection kept San Diego batters guessing.

The sole run Dollander yielded came in frustrating fashion.

With Jake Cronenworth already on second after a one-out double to right field, Fernando Tatis Jr. reached base with a two-out dribbler to the left side of the infield that Kyle Karros couldn’t corral in time. One pitch later, Dollander plunked Jackson Merrill to load the bases. Dollander then lost Manny Machado; the bases-loaded walk scored Cronenworth for the game’s first run.

But that was all Dollander surrendered. He rallied to strike out Xander Bogaerts, then worked a scoreless seventh inning to finish his 102-pitch night.

“He pitched well enough to keep going,” Schaeffer said. “I mean, if you look at that inning, it’s a swinging bunt with two outs, a hit-by-pitch that nicked him, and then a walk. He pitched very well. If that’s gonna happen to give you the only run, heck yeah, you stick with him.”

Along with his strikeout tally, Dollander’s pitch count was also a career high.

His takeaway?

“That I’m dominant and I can dominate any lineup,” Dollander said, oozing the confidence that has become his hallmark. I think it’s just a testament to everything I’ve been through and the learning lessons I had last year and everything I did this offseason.”

Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander, on what he takes from tonight’s six innings of work in which he allowed one run and three hits with nine strikeouts:

“That I’m dominant and I can dominate any lineup. I think it's just a testament to everything I've been through and the learning… pic.twitter.com/f0AGy2e1fX

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) April 22, 2026

The home-road splits that defined his rookie season have evaporated; in two home appearances this year Dollander has a 1.74 ERA and a 0.871 WHIP. And in his last five appearances at any venue — covering 21 innings — he hasn’t allowed a home run. In his first 22 appearances through his season-opening work at Toronto on March 30, he had a HR/9 rate of 1.85.

The Rockies have found something in three games with Dollander entering after an opener. That something could be the developing stages of an ace in the making.

K
K
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in a row for Chase! pic.twitter.com/01bVM65niX

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 22, 2026

Colorado fell to 9-15.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Drawing the assignment as Dollander’s opener, Jimmy Herget mowed down the top of San Diego’s order, striking out the side in a lickety-split first inning before handing the 2023 first-round pick the reins. He left Ramón Laureano and Tatis flailing with his sweeper, then got Merrill to chase his fastball, completing his 14-pitch inning.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Edouard Julien, Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 15 — Strikeouts accumulated by Rockies pitchers. In addition to Dollander’s nine and Herget’s three, Juan Mejia had one in the eighth inning and Brennan Bernardino had two more in the ninth. That was Colorado’s second-highest total in the last three seasons, exceeded only by the 16 strikeouts at Seattle on Sept. 23 of last year.

WHAT’S NEXT: Tomoyuki Sugano goes for his second win of the season. Walker Buehler starts for the Padres. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. MDT.

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