The Rockies fall 7-3 to the Dodgers on June 18 as Kris Bryant hits the IL again. Freddie Freeman's homer sealed the deal, leaving Colorado searching for answers.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was another one of those nights at 20th and Blake, where the familiar sting of a division loss was compounded by a dispiriting dose of bad news. The Colorado Rockies fell 7-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the bigger blow came before the first pitch with the announcement that Kris Bryant was heading back to the injured list, casting a pall over a team desperately searching for a spark.
We need to execute better with runners in scoring position and limit the big innings.
The game itself felt like a microcosm of the team's recent struggles. Starter Ryan Feltner battled but was ultimately undone by one bad inning, surrendering a three-run homer to Freddie Freeman that put the Dodgers ahead for good. He finished with five earned runs over 4.2 innings. The offense showed flashes but couldn't deliver the knockout blow, going a frustrating 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight men stranded. Solo homers from Ezequiel Tovar and an RBI double from Brenton Doyle weren't nearly enough to keep pace with the high-powered LA offense, a fact manager Bud Black lamented postgame.
The pregame news soured the evening before it even began. The club placed Kris Bryant on the 10-day IL with lower back tightness, a recurring issue that has plagued his season. In his place, the team recalled outfielder Sean Bouchard, who has been tearing it up in Triple-A Albuquerque to the tune of a .312 average and 12 home runs. The move signals a potential opportunity for new energy in the lineup but also necessitated optioning the struggling Elehuris Montero back to the minors, ending his latest stint after hitting just .198.
While gloom settled over Coors Field, a firework show was taking place in Hartford. Top infield prospect Adael Amador put the entire organization on notice by hitting for the cycle in a spectacular 4-for-5 performance for the Double-A Yard Goats. The 22-year-old phenom drove in five runs, showcasing the rare combination of power and speed that makes him the crown jewel of the Rockies' farm system. On a day filled with frustration for the major league club, Amador's historic night was a powerful and welcome reminder of the talent pipeline.
Amidst the loss, a few individual bright spots continued to shine. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar slapped two more hits to extend his hitting streak to a blistering 11 games, raising his season average to .291. Meanwhile, the team's social media celebrated Nolan Jones swiping his 20th base of the season, making him the fastest Rockie to reach that mark since 2019. These individual milestones provide building blocks and prove that even during a team-wide slump, key players are still developing and contributing.
As the Rockies look to salvage the series against the Dodgers, the pressure mounts. Bud Black's call for better execution rings loud and clear, but the answers may lie in the team's youth. With Tovar's consistent bat, Bouchard's fresh opportunity, and the promise of talents like Adael Amador on the horizon, the future is bright. The question for fans is how much of that future can be brought into the present to pull the team out of its current 2-8 funk.
