Rockies drop fifth-straight game as they can’t recover from Astros’ six-run inning

Rockies Report, Game 17:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: An early 3-0 lead evaporated in a disastrous third inning in which the Rockies committed a balk, two Willi Castro errors and surrendered six runs, chasing starter Michael Lorenzen and putting them into a hole from which they couldn’t escape in a 7-6 defeat to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Tuesday night.

The defeat extended Colorado’s losing streak to five games, while the Astros snapped their eight-game skid that included last week’s Rockies sweep at Coors Field.

Hunter Goodman’s solo homer in the first inning and Jake McCarthy’s 2-RBI triple off the right-center-field wall in the second staked Colorado to its early lead.

You could say Hunter was prepared for liftoff 🤭 pic.twitter.com/XlT30MYqnL

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 15, 2026

But Christian Walker cut into that with a solo homer in the bottom of the second, setting up a third inning that started with a Christian Vásquez double, devolved with Castro’s initial error on a Jose Altuve grounder and was exacerbated when Michael Lorenzen balked, moving Vásquez to third and Altuve to second. Yordan Alvarez doubled both baserunners home, and the parade was on.

When Antonio Senzatela relieved Lorenzen later in the inning, the bullpen stopped the bleeding. Senzatela delivered 3 1/3 innings of two-hit ball without allowing a run, punctuating 5 1/3 innings of scoreless work from the pen that was finished off by one inning each from Juan Mejia and Zach Agnos.

Senzatela hasn’t allowed a run in five appearances over 12 1/3 innings so far this season.

“Incredibly important. A guy that can go three-plus, four innings and come in in the middle of an inning and shut it down and keep it right where it’s at — everything you want out of Senz. I continue to be so proud of him after what happened last year,” manager Warren Schaeffer told media after the game.

That bought the Rox time to rally via a Jordan Beck solo homer in the fourth, Goodman’s second solo shot of the night in the fifth and a Troy Johnston RBI single in the eighth, pulling the Rox within one run.

One strike from defeat with the bases empty in the ninth, Brett Sullivan singled to stave off defeat. Three pitches later on an 0-2 count, Ezequiel Tovar dropped a fly ball just out of the reach of a lunging Cam Smith.

Unfortunately for the Rox, Sullivan slowed up to look back toward right field as he reached second base. That hesitation cost a chance for a potential run off Tovar’s single; had Sullivan been chugging at full speed, he might have been waved around third.

And that was as far as the rally went. Beck took a 2-2 fastball from Enyel De Los Santos, and the Rockies’ fifth-consecutive defeat was assured.

Colorado fell to 6-11 and is tied for the worst record in MLB with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Lorenzen took the loss as he couldn’t replicate his work from last Wednesday’s getaway-day performance, but he was done no favors by Castro’s two third-inning errors, which is how just two of the seven runs were earned and charged to the 34-year-old right-hander.

“I don’t think Mike threw the ball bad,” Schaeffer said. “I thought that he competed well today. A couple of unlucky things behind him … a couple of errors. Uncharacteristic for sure from Willi.”

But Lorenzen also allowed six runs and a walk over 2 2/3 innings, with a balk and a solo homer against him. He didn’t get the help behind him, but he didn’t find the same groove he located six days earlier, either.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos froze Beck with runners on the corners to end the game.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .167 — The Rockies’ winning percentage in one-run games this season after Tuesday’s loss; they have a 1-5 mark in such contests. “We need to start turning these one-run losses into one-run wins. And I think that’s going to come,” Schaeffer said.

WHAT’S NEXT: Game Two of the series at 6:10 p.m. MDT on Wednesday night. Starting pitchers are to be determined.

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