Rookie Tanner Gordon pitches a gem as the Rockies shut out the Cardinals 6-0 on July 23, 2025. Read how Gordon's 6 scoreless innings led to a historic win.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
There's a special kind of magic when the Coors Field scoreboard reads zero for the visitors, and on Wednesday night, rookie Tanner Gordon was the magician. In a masterful performance, Gordon silenced the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching the Rockies to a dominant 6-0 victory and their first shutout of the 2025 season. It was a complete team effort that has the Mile High City buzzing with newfound momentum.
Rookie right-hander Tanner Gordon delivered a standout performance, tossing 6 shutout innings with 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts to lower his ERA to 3.13.
The story of the night was undoubtedly Tanner Gordon. The rookie right-hander looked every bit the seasoned veteran, navigating the Cardinals lineup with poise for six brilliant, scoreless innings. Throwing 96 pitches (65 for strikes), he induced weak contact all night, racking up nine groundouts and keeping St. Louis off balance. When he handed the ball over, the bullpen didn't miss a beat. Jimmy Herget and Tyler Kinley combined for three scoreless innings to seal the deal, officially giving the Rockies their long-awaited first team shutout. For a team that has struggled for consistent starting pitching, Gordon's outing was more than just a win; it was a massive injection of hope.
While Gordon was dealing, the offense gave him all the support he would need in a single explosive inning. The Rockies broke the game open in the second, hanging a four-spot on the Cardinals. Kyle Farmer got the party started with a 101-mph RBI single, and the line kept moving with Adael Amador, Tyler Freeman, and Mickey Moniak all driving in runs. The relentless pressure was exactly what the team needed. For good measure, Nolan Jones added an RBI double in the fifth, and Ezequiel Tovar put a punctuation mark on the evening with a solo blast to right field in the eighth. Tovar's 12th homer of the year also extended his hitting streak to a solid seven games.
The good news isn't just confined to the big league club. Down on the farm, the future continues to look incredibly promising. Outfielder Zac Veen is on an absolute tear for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, hitting a scorching .413 with a .464 on-base percentage over his last 19 games. Not to be outdone, infielder Aaron Schunk is also raking, slashing .353 over his last 14 contests. With the Isotopes ranking second in their league in home runs, it's clear the next wave of Rockies talent is developing some serious pop.
Winning is contagious, and the Rockies are suddenly feeling very healthy. With back-to-back series wins under their belt, a rookie pitcher looking like a potential rotation anchor, and key bats heating up, the team is building the kind of momentum they've been searching for all season. The challenge now is to carry this complete performance forward and prove that this isn't just a flash in the pan, but the start of a meaningful mid-summer run.
