Rockies offense awakens, but it’s not enough as sixth straight loss drops them to 3-15

Rockies Report, Game 18:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Tepid for too long, Colorado’s offense finally came alive, but it wasn’t enough to nudge them across the line for what would have been the only win of a wretched six-game SoCal road swing as the Rockies fell to the Dodgers, 8-7.

Los Angeles piled seven runs on in the first inning, chasing Germán Márquez before he could record three outs. But the Rox narrowed the gap in the third inning with two mammoth swings over a five-pitch span.


First, Michael Toglia — back in the lineup after having his 106-game starting streak snapped — delivered the big blast he desperately needed after starting the season in an unexpected funk, drilling a grand slam to center field. Then, Mickey Moniak followed with a solo shot, pulling the Rockies within 7-6.

Five runs in five pitches. Or the same number of runs as Colorado had in the first five games of the series.

But that was as close as the Rox got. Los Angeles tacked on a run in the fifth on an Andy Pages RBI single — the only run allowed by Colorado’s bullpen in 7 1/3 innings of outstanding work. Kyle Farmer brought home Nick Martini on an RBI groundout in the seventh, his second RBI of the night.

Losers of all six games on this road trip, the Rox now sit at 3-15, their worst mark at this point in a season in club history.

STARTER’S REPORT: It unraveled rapidly for Germán Márquez, who took the mound in the first inning with the only lead Colorado had during this road trip — and then lost it in four pitches.

On that fateful pitch, Márquez’s 1-2 curveball settled near the middle of the strike zone and Shohei Ohtani knocked it into orbit, 448 feet and deep beyond the right-field wall.

Seven pitches later, a Márquez fastball to Freddie Freeman landed 409 feet away in the right-field pavilion to put the Dodgers up 2-1. And unfortunately, that was just the start, as six consecutive Dodgers reached base after Márquez recorded the second out.

And with that, and the Dodgers up 7-1, Bud Black had seen enough. Márquez lasted longer five nights earlier before the big inning felled him, although he got no run support. His started have gotten shorter each time, from six innings to five to 4 2/3 to just 2/3 of an inning Wednesday.

Exemplary work from the bullpen kept Colorado in the game and bought time for the bats to awaken. Angel Chivilli delivered 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Luis Peralta surrendered a run and three hits in 1 1/3 innings of work, but Victor Vodnik, Scott Alexander and Tyler Kinley all kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard from there.

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Ryan McMahon struck out with Sean Bouchard on first base for the third out in the ninth inning.


ROCKIES NUMBER TO NOTE: 16 — Strikeouts on Wednesday night, which remain a problem. “We struck out again too much,” Black told media after the game.

ROCKIES UNIFORM: Black hat with purple bill, gray jersey, gray pants. Colorado is 0-6 wearing this uniform.

WHAT’S NEXT: An off day before coming home to face the Washington Nationals on Friday night. Rookie Chase Dollander is scheduled to make his third career start. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.

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