The Rockies Fall 4 Runs Short in Thrilling 13-9 Loss to Tampa Bay Rays
The Rockies pieced together a decent late rally, scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't enough to overcome an eight-run deficit on Monday night at Coors Field.
A disastrous start for the Rockies saw them trail 7-0 after three innings, with the Tampa Bay Rays showing no signs of slowing down. The Rays' Junior Caminier hit a two-run shot for his 31st homer of the season in the first inning, putting the Rockies behind right off the bat.
The Rays' offense continued to roll in the second and third innings, with Chandler Simpson and Richie Palacios hitting back-to-back singles, followed by Lorenzen walking Kenny Piper to load the bases with no outs. Taylor Walls hit a two-run single, Yandy Diaz hit a sac fly, and Walls stole second and moved to third on a throwing error from Hunter Goodman to move into scoring position for Jonathan Aranda's RBI single.
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer attributed the poor start to Lorenzen not being "in the zone enough." The Rockies' starter needed 75 pitches to get nine outs and took a loss, with his record dropping to 3-10 and his ERA increasing to 6.94.
Tanner Gordon relieved Lorenzen in the fourth and pitched well, retiring nine out of the first 10 batters he faced through the sixth inning. Schaeffer praised Gordon's performance, saying he was "extremely efficient" and "gives us a chance there to come back."
Despite Gordon's efforts, the Rays continued to add to their lead, scoring two more runs in the seventh. The Rockies' Ezequiel Tovar had a standout night, going 4-for-4 with a homer and scoring four runs. He added a single in the fifth and came around to score on an RBI single from Kyle Karros.
Tovar's four hits were his first multi-hit game since July 3, and he showed a renewed sense of confidence at the plate. Schaeffer praised Tovar's performance, saying, "It was awesome to see Tovy have that night. Good for him. He's been looking for that for a while."
Tampa Bay's Ian Seymour pitched six solid innings, holding the Rockies to two runs on seven hits with no walks. The Rays' speedy offense proved too much for the Rockies, with the team ultimately falling 4 runs short in a thrilling 13-9 loss.
The loss dropped the Rockies to 45-68, while the Rays improved their record to 66-46. The Rockies' next move will be to try and regroup and refocus, as they face another challenging opponent in their upcoming schedule.
Source: Yahoo Sports
