SAN FRANCISCO -- After absorbing another loss in a season overflowing with L’s, the Rockies are heading back to Colorado and a welcome day off.
Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Giants at Oracle Park capped a streak of 11 consecutive games without a break for manager Bud Black’s ballclub. The Rockies have had just four off-days over a 27-day stretch -- two of which were due to weather -- compiling a 4-21 record (including two doubleheaders) over that span.
Acknowledging the grind of games that the Rockies are in, Black declined to use that as an excuse for Colorado’s struggles but embraced having Monday off.
“I don’t know whether we need it,” Black said. “Gives the guys a little bit of a chance to exhale after some games here in San Francisco. We won a really good game in the opener, got shut out on Friday. Some games [were] in the balance and got away from us.”
That’s been the case a lot for the Rockies this season: They’ve played well enough to win in a lot of games but don’t have much to show for it.
The series with the Giants was a perfect example.
After the win and the shutout loss, Colorado scored three times in the sixth to take a lead Saturday, then gave it all away when the Giants scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning.
On Sunday the highlights were few and far between.
Designated hitter Hunter Goodman had two hits and an RBI to maintain his good rhythm at the plate. He’s had a hit in 17 of the Rockies’ past 19 games and is batting .276 over that span.
“He’s laying off the breaking ball down and away,” Black said. “He has an aggressive mindset to hit. [Opposing pitchers] are throwing a lot of slop down and away and he has a tendency to chase. He’s got to lay off that. That’s the key.”
In the eighth inning, Jordan Beck and Ryan McMahon hit consecutive triples; it’s the first time that’s happened for the Rockies since Sept. 25, 2010 -- also against the Giants but at Coors Field.
Once they get home to rest, the Rockies will begin a homestand of nine games in nine days beginning Tuesday against the Tigers.
“The guys will regroup and come out ready to play for sure against the Tigers,” Black said. “These guys come to play. It’s not happening with the results we want but these 26 guys are playing as hard as they can to get a win.”
One issue that the Rockies would love to get corrected soon is starting pitcher Germán Márquez.
Márquez took the loss against the Giants on Sunday after allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings. The one-time All-Star has one no-decision this season while carrying a 9.90 ERA, and has lost six consecutive decisions, the longest drought of his MLB career.
Black said he saw progress from Márquez during Sunday’s game but noted that the right-hander is still trying to work his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2023 and a stress reaction in his pitching elbow that limited him to six games last season.
“I thought the fastball had some sink to it, the curveball was better,” Black said. “We’re still not there with the slider and the change-up but the delivery looked better. His aggressiveness in the strike zone was better. I know the pitching line doesn’t look it but [he] looked better The feel to pitch has not returned yet.”
The Rockies franchise leader for strikeouts, Márquez said Sunday’s start should help propel him to better outings over the remainder of the season.
“My arm is at a good point right now,” Márquez said. “The results are not there but it’s baseball. I feel like I missed two pitches today but I feel good. I feel like this outing is going to set me [up for] the other outings the rest of the season. I need to get going and keep making good pitches and have good outings.”