Rockies get thunder from Hunter Goodman, but it’s not enough to avoid a series loss

Rockies Report, Game 118:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Hunter Goodman uncorked his 34th home run of the season to pull the Rockies into a 4-4 eighth-inning tie, but the Cardinals immediately answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame, dooming Colorado to a 7-4 loss that gave the three-game series to St. Louis on Sunday afternoon.

Ding Dong Hunter Long Gone‼️ pic.twitter.com/U02WKcV2Rl

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 9, 2026

Goodman’s shot completed a rally from a 4-1 deficit that began when Brett Sullivan — working at catcher while Goodman handled designated-hitter duties — uncorked a 384-foot shot into the Cardinals bullpen to pull Colorado back within 4-3.

Goodman added a first-inning RBI single to put the Rox in front early before the Cardinals worked their way in front by scoring in the first, third and fifth innings. Alec Burleson’s fifth-inning homer off Michael Lorenzen pushed the Cardinals in front 4-1.

Reliever Tanner Gordon got out of the fifth without further damage and then delivered scoreless sixth and seventh innings before allowing a pair of baserunners in the eighth inning. Parker Mushinski relieved Gordon with two outs, but immediately allowed JJ Wetherholt to line a four-seam fastball in the middle of the zone to the base of the center-field wall, scoring both baserunners.

Colorado fell to 46-72 and has now lost five of its last six. The Rox are 8-17 in their last 25 games, including 7-13 since the All-Star break.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

In a similar manner to Kyle Freeland on Saturday night, Lorenzen had a heavy pitch count while making it just a bit over four innings — 4 1/3, to be precise, reaching 97 pitches before he was relieved by Gordon.

Lorenzen allowed four of the five leadoff batters he faced to reach base, capped by Burleson’s homer. Lorenzen subsequently allowed a Jordan Walker single — Walker’s second at Lorenzen’s expense Sunday — and a force out before Warren Schaeffer made the pitching change.

Most of Lorenzen’s day was spent navigating basepath traffic, as he allowed eight hits and three walks. Of the four runs Lorenzen allowed, two were unearned — both in the third inning after a Willi Castro error.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Iván Herrera added a third run to the Cardinals’ eighth-inning output for what proved to be the final margin.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .459 — Jake McCarthy’s August batting average after he went 2-for-5 on Sunday. He went 9-for-14 in the series.

WHAT’S NEXT: It’s off to the desert to face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who just took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. Colorado will send Gabriel Hughes to the mound in pursuit of his first major-league win; Michael Soroka will start for Arizona. First pitch at Chase Field is set for 7:40 p.m. MDT.

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