Rockies fall to 0-6 on road trip as they strike out 15 times

Rockies Report, Game 18:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Colorado batters fanned 15 times as Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti and the Astros bullpen combined to hold the Rockies to just three hits, dooming them to a 3-1 loss that extended their losing streak to six games as their second road trip of the season nears a merciful end.

Ezequiel Tovar and Willi Castro combined to provide the extent of Colorado’s offense, with Castro cashing in Tovar’s leadoff second-inning walk with an RBI double for the Rockies’ only run.

Castro puts us on the board! pic.twitter.com/kVNtMwNMsc

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 16, 2026

Castro was plunked on the right hand by Arrighetti in his next plate appearances and left the game; subsequent X-rays were negative. Troy Johnston was also hit by an Arrighetti pitch and eventually left with a right-quadriceps contusion.

The Rockies fell to 6-12 and share the bottom spot in MLB with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

José Quintana returned from the injured list Wednesday but immediately found himself in a spot of bother, walking Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes to load the bases in his first 20 pitches without recording an out.

Quintana recovered and got the next three batters out, but the first two were on fly balls deep enough to advance and score runners, putting the Rockies in a 2-0 hole after the first inning even though he hadn’t allowed a hit. He later surrendered a solo homer to Alvarez in the third inning and was relieved after 3 2/3 innings and 75 pitches.

“He did settle in and gave us a chance to win, for sure. He was just behind in counts. Looked a little rusty, I think,” manager Warren Schaeffer told media after the game.

“Just not enough strikes early — I think that was pretty obvious with the three walks to lead off the game, but limited damage there in the first inning; it could have been a lot worse than that.”

The bullpen delivered 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, thanks primarily to callup Tanner Gordon’s four innings of two-hit, one-walk work in his 2026 major-league debut.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: TJ Rumfield grounded out to first base with runners on the corners and two out in the seventh inning. No Rockies batter reached base after that.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 29 — Strikeouts for Hunter Goodman so far this season, including three of the Rockies’ 15 on Wednesday night. With a strikeout rate of .414, Goodman has the NL’s worst K rate among eligible players and is second in MLB behind Minnesota’s Matt Wallner. Colorado has two of the four-highest strikeout rates in MLB: Goodman and Castro (fourth, .393).

WHAT’S NEXT: The series and road-trip finale on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. MDT at Daikin Park. Chase Dollander is expected to pitch the bulk of the game, but Schaeffer said Wednesday that the Rockies will use an opener for him, as they have in his previous appearances so far this season.

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