Rockies drop series finale as Angels shell Lorenzen

Rockies Report, Game 63:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: The woes continued for starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, as the Angels rocked him for six second-inning runs en route to what foul be an 11-4 rout of the Rockies on Wednesday night.

After escaping a two-on, one-out jam in the first inning, the roof caved in on Lorenzen the next time he took the mound. The first four Angels he faced in the second inning reached base via hits — three singles and a Jose Siri double. Two more singles and a walk would follow, with two wild pitches thrown in — both of which scored a run.

Lorenzen labored through 40 pitches in the second inning. After a scoreless third, it got worse in the fourth, as Vaughn Grissom took him deep for a two-run homer to put the Rockies in an 8-1 deficit. That blast ended Lorenzen’s night.

It could have been even worse, but Sterlin Thompson prevented a two-run homer from Mike Trout in the fifth inning by reaching over the top of the left-field wall to take away what would have been the 15th home run of the season for the 11-time All-Star.

Sterlin says not today! pic.twitter.com/8kIRNiEp3I

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 4, 2026

Colorado pulled within 8-3 midway through the fifth after a pair of doubles by Hunter Goodman and Troy Johnston led to a fourth-inning run, followed by a two-run homer from Tyler Freeman in the fifth. But the Angels added three runs at the expense of reliever Keegan Thompson — one in the fifth and two in the sixth — to make the balance of the game a formality.

The Rockies failed to complete the sweep, but still took two out of three in the series, giving them their second-consecutive series win after dropping nine straight series dating back to late April.

Colorado fell to 24-39 and dropped back into last place in the National League West by a half-game thanks to San Francisco’s 1-0 win at Milwaukee.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

It’s not just a Coors Field thing for Lorenzen, as his struggles have mounted in his recent road starts as much as they have at home. His road earned-run average is now 6.68, with a WHIP of 1.69.

“Obviously behind in counts, left some balls up, probably didn’t put the ball where he wanted to, command was shaky again today,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s going through a period of searching right now.

“I have extreme confidence in him that he’s gonna come out of it. He’s done it before, and it can be as quick as his next start.”

Last year, his ERA after 13 starts was 4.94. Two years ago at the same point, it stood at 3.04; in 2023 after 13 starts, it was 3.97. He’ll need a massive turnaround to approach the type of efficiency the Rockies hoped to find when they signed him during the offseason.

Lorenzen fell to 2-8 with the loss in Anaheim.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Oswald Pereza delivered a one-out double off Thompson in the sixth inning to put the Angels’ 10th run on the board.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 8.01 — Lorenzen’s ERA this season, which is the worst among 135 players with at least 40 innings pitched so far in 2026.

WHAT’S NEXT: A day off before a weekend series against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Ryan Feltner will look to sustain the momentum from his quality start last Saturday. Brandon Sproat gets the call for the Brewers. First pitch on Friday night is set for 6:40 p.m. MDT.

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