Rockies crawl into All-Star Break after 2-5 California road swing

Rockies Report, Game 98:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Jake McCarthy’s leadoff inside-the-park home run in the first inning provided an electric start to the Rockies’ final game before the All-Star Break, but that represented the sum total of the offensive output as the Giants limited the Rockies to four hits and two walks in dealing them a 3-1 series-ending loss at Oracle Park.

Giants starter Trevor McDonald went seven innings as Colorado’s expense, allowing just three hits and a walk. Cole Carrigg also reached base after being plunked with an errant McDonald slider with two outs in the fourth inning.

SECOND INSIDE-THE-PARK HR THIS YEAR!

…and we're still in the first half 🤯 pic.twitter.com/HFedrNzAfW

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 12, 2026

Colorado starter Michael Lorenzen proved equal to the task over five innings, and Brennan Bernardino and Jimmy Herget held up their end with scoreless sixth and seventh innings, leaving the game knotted at 1-apiece.

But Antonio Senzatela yielded a leadoff walk to Rafael Devers in the eighth inning, and after a Bryce Eldridge single put runners on the corners, pinch runner Grant McCray stepped in for Eldridge and stole second.

But on the steal, Hunter Goodman’s throw sailed into center field, scoring Devers and advancing McCray to third base. Willy Adames’ subsequent single brought home McCray to push the Giants’ lead to the final margin.

Senzatela fell to 9-2, and his ERA is 7.41 over his last 15 appearances since May 27 after a 1.13 figure over his first 15 trips to the mound this season.

Regarding McCarthy’s homer, as the Rockies’ communications staff learned, McCarthy became the first player in nearly a century with at least two leadoff inside-the-park home runs in the same season. His previous such trip came June 20 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The last player to accomplish this was Edd Roush of the New York Giants in 1929, a longtime standout who had been the oldest living member of the Hall of Fame before he died of a heart attack in March 1988 at a Pittsburgh Pirates spring-training game in Bradenton, Fla.

As for the Rockies, they fell to 39-59 after concluding a 2-5 road trip, including three losses in four games at San Francisco, where they scored just nine runs in the series. Colorado also hits the break at its low-water mark relative to .500: 20 games below, matching where it stood after play on June 30.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Lorenzen’s string of promising performances continued Sunday, as he allowed just a single earned run on five hits and three walks scattered over five innings.

Walks remained an issue for him; he now has 12 free passes issued over his last three starts after having just two walks in his final three June starts. But he did well at limiting the damage, stranding two runners in the first and escaping four-straight two-out baserunners — via two singles and two walks — with only a single run allowed, leaving the bases loaded.

Lorenzen was relieved after 79 pitches. He has dropped his season-long ERA by 1.79 runs over seven starts — down to 6.22 — since being rocked for eight earned runs over 3 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim early last month.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Cole Carrigg hit a fly-ball out with Hunter Goodman on second base for the final out.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 3.22 — Lorenzen’s ERA over his last seven starts. It was 8.01 prior to this ongoing stretch.

WHAT’S NEXT: The All-Star Break, with Goodman taking part in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Colorado resumes its schedule Friday with a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field.

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