Rockies can’t maximize Agnos’ strong start, fall in walk-off fashion

Rockies Report, Game 51:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Corbin Carroll’s walk-off RBI single brought home Gabriel Moreno and dealt the Rockies a second-straight agonizing defeat in the ninth inning, this one by a 2-1 count in the road-trip and series opener at Arizona on Thursday night.

Moreno reached base via a leadoff walk issued by Juan Mejia — which was a bugaboo late in Thursday’s game, as both of Arizona’s runs reached base on leadoff walks. Ryan Waldschmidt scored the Diamondbacks’ first run via a walk issued by Blas Castaño.

“We lose 2-1. Both leadoff walks score. Eight free passes. That’s not good enough,” manager Warren Schaeffer told media after the game. “We can’t do that.”

Arizona batters had twice as many walks as base hits (four) against Colorado pitchers. Seven of the walks were dealt by relievers Castaño, Mejia and Seth Halvorsen over the game’s final four innings.

But of equal culpability was an offense that frittered away most of its chances. Tyler Freeman and Hunter Goodman hit into double plays; Goodman’s came with two on and one out in the sixth.

Colorado’s sole run was a gift, albeit a painful one; Diamondbacks reliever Juan Morillo plunked Tyler Freeman in the foot with the bases loaded after entering in the eighth inning following Eduardo Rodriguez’s seven strong innings of work.

Goodman had a bases-loaded chance after Freeman’s hit-by-pitch RBI, but his seven-pitch battle with Kevin Ginkel ended in a pop-fly to Moreno.

Colorado fell to 19-32 and has now lost 15 of 20 games since starting 14-17.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Zach Agnos last worked as a starter on the mound in high school. The way he worked in his 71-pitch outing, you never would have known it.

He retired the first 10 Arizona batters he faced, keeping them off-balance with his six-pitch mix, and limited them to a single hit and a walk over five innings. Not bad for a guy who was trying to conceal his giddiness over the opportunity he learned only a day earlier would be coming his way.

“I’m definitely proud of the way I threw and composed myself,” he told media in the clubhouse after the game. “I hope nobody could tell, but I was a little kid on the inside on Christmas morning.”

That'll play 💪 pic.twitter.com/dGWQkpjcsJ

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 22, 2026

What he and the Rockies unwrapped was more than they expected — more than an opener; he would have been in position for a win had the offense given him any run support. But the best chance for that during his five innings went astray when Braxton Fulford’s attempt at a squeeze with runners on the corners fell short; Ezequiel Tovar took off on contact, and Rodriguez fielded the bunt cleanly and tossed it to Moreno, who applied the tag.

But by any reasonable measure, the night was a smashing success for Agnos — and with two starters on the injured list as Ryan Feltner continues his rehab stint, it was much-needed.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Carroll turned on a Mejia sweeper that was in the middle of the strike zone and drove it through the right side of the infield for the walk-off run, scoring Moreno from second base.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .558 — Goodman’s OPS this month. It was .890 in March and April. This is on track to be Goodman’s lowest OPS for a month since July 2024 (.375 over 33 plate appearances). Coincidentally, his worst month last season was in May; he posted a .671 OPS that month, then rebounded with his hottest month of the year, blasting away for an 1.108 OPS in June 2025. It’s also worth noting that Goodman’s BABIP this month is .268; it was .352 in March and April.

WHAT’S NEXT: Tomoyuki Sugano gets the call for Game 2; Michael Soroka will toe the rubber for the Diamondbacks. First pitch from Chase Field is set for 7:40 p.m. MDT.

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