Rockies bullpen disintegrates in disastrous seven-run eighth inning

Rockies Report, Game 148:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Leading 7-4 and at the brink of ending their five-game losing streak, Rockies relievers Jaden Hill and Jordan Romano allowed the first seven Tigers batters in the eighth inning to reach base — four via base hits and three on walks — leading to a seven-run Detroit outburst that buried the Rockies 11-7 to extend their losing streak to six games and their road skid to nine games in succession.

Hill faced five batters without recording an out, giving up two doubles and two singles in his first seven pitches before delivering a five-pitch walk to Max Clark.

“They were just on him,” Schaeffer said. “They had a good plan, went out there, put the ball on the bat early in the count, and just couldn’t get any outs.”

Romano entered with the bases loaded and the Rockies clinging to a 7-6 lead and was immediately assessed a pitch-timer violation for ball one to Spencer Torkelson, which proved costly when he issued a bases-loaded walk five pitches later to tie the game. Another bases-loaded free pass to Ben Malgeri followed.

🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/e7It5Utc9y

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 12, 2026

Romano rallied to record a pair of outs — one of which scored a run on a sacrifice fly — before Hao-Yu Lee tripled off the right-field wall to bring home the final two runs of the day.

IT'S A FIESTA IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT!! pic.twitter.com/t8xfEyb39v

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 12, 2026

Detroit’s offense was already firing before the eighth-inning debacle, piling up 13 hits and four walks. But the Tigers had gone 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position to that point. That changed in the ninth.

The Tigers’ comeback rendered Hunter Goodman’s 38th home run of the year — a three-run shot — and Ezequiel Tovar’s solo homer fruitless.

Colorado dropped to 55-93.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Detroit’s onslaught began against starter Tanner Gordon, who allowed 10 hits and a walk in four innings of work, surrendering a pair of runs in each of the third and fourth innings before leaving with 87 pitches to his name and the game tied.

Every leadoff batter reached base for the Tigers on Saturday, and while Gordon danced out of trouble in the first two innings — escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam with a 6-4-3 double play — he had no such good fortune in the third inning, immediately giving up a leadoff homer to Kevin McGonigle to begin his woes.

Gordon was usually ahead in counts; he just struggled to finish.

“Fifteen out of 22 hitters, [he had] 0-2 or 1-2. That’s right where you want to be,” Schaeffer said. “We’ve just got to put ’em away, and he had trouble doing that.”

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Lee delivered his two-out, 2-RBI triple in the eighth inning to provide the final margin.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 22 — Number of opportunities the Tigers had with runners in scoring position. Detroit went 7-for-22 with RISP; the Rockies were 5-for-14.

WHAT’S NEXT: Rookie Gabriel Hughes again searches for his first major-league win; Jackson Jobe will get the call for the Tigers. First pitch is set for 10:10 a.m. MDT.

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