Rockies’ bullpen struggles again, allows 7 runs in fall-from ahead loss

Rockies Report, Game 67:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: For the second consecutive night, the bullpen frittered away a Rockies lead.

This time, it didn’t wait for the ninth inning to do it.

A series of bloops put Tyler Kinley in a spot of bother in the eighth inning, helping load the bases with no one out, and then a 3-2 walk to Casey Schmitt opened the floodgates, teeing off a seven-run deluge over the eighth and nine innings that turned a 6-3 Rox lead into a 10-7 defeat on Wednesday night.

Four runs were at the expense of Kinley, who took the loss, his third of the season. Three more came off Agnos, whose recent struggles continued.

The tumble came not even 24 hours after a final-inning collapse out of a 5-2 lead to a 6-5 loss one night earlier. It sealed yet another series loss — the 21st in 22 series so far this season.

It squandered a strong night at the plate against 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, who so far this season has looked in the same form he had during that career season with Toronto four years ago.

But in the third inning, the Rox sliced away at Ray. Tyler Freeman and Jordan Beck recorded consecutive singles to open the frame, setting up Hunter Goodman for an RBI double to get the Rox on the board, pulling them within 3-1.

Thairo Estrada brought home another run on a groundout that turned into a game-tying at-bat when Giants first baseman Jerar Encarnacion booted the catch, allowing Goodman to score. Keston Hiura brought home Estrada on a single to put the Rox in front.

That chased Ray after four innings. Two more runs went on the board in the sixth.

“We made a really good pitcher in Robbie Ray work hard,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said at his postgame press conference.

But it wasn’t enough.

Goodman smashed his 11th home run of the season in the ninth inning, a 427-foot solo shot to left field that trimmed a run off the Giants’ lead. That capped a 3-for-5 night which included the aforementioned double — his 16th of the campaign.

However, the Rox drew no closer and fell to 12-55.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Kyle Freeland overcame a wobbly opening two batters to notch his third consecutive quality start, leaving the mound after six innings in line for the win before the eighth-inning issues.

Within seven pitches, he was behind 2-0 thanks to a leadoff walk and a fastball in the zone that Willy Adames parked 452 feet over the left center field fence. But he would allow just one run after that, settling in and neutralizing the Giants, striking out five and walking two.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Orlando Arcia tapped a weak grounder with runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, ending a last threat to force extra innings.

WHAT’S NEXT: Antonio Senzatela looks for his second win of the season as Colorado tries to salvage a win before heading east for a seven-game road swing in Atlanta and Washington. San Francisco will counter with Hayden Birdsong. First pitch for the getaway-day game is at 1:10 p.m. MDT.

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