The Colorado Rockies looked like they were set up to win. They had a lead that they handed to their stellar bullpen in the seventh inning. Unfortunately things unraveled and a couple tough plays turned into a nine-run meltdown as the San Diego Padres cruised to a 13-5 win.
The bullpen falls apart
There were key moments where the fateful seventh inning could have gone differently. Ian Desmond whiffed on a flyball that set up the go-ahead home run. Scott Oberg missed catching a screaming comeback by just a few inches.
In the meantime, however, the pitching was bad. Jake McGee, Oberg, and Antonio Senzatela were all getting too much of the plate. They paid for it and this game turned ugly in a hurry. There were singles, doubles, and a home run as the Padres batted around in a half-inning that took more than 40 minutes.
Fire up the fountains
Back when this game looked like it wouldn’t be infuriating, Jenny Cavnar graced us with her home run call on a pair of two-run shots during her historic play-by-play debut: one from Nolan Arenado and then a bomb from Trevor Story. This part was still fun—the home runs and Cavnar calling the game. The other stuff was fun if you’re a Padres fan or a weirdo with Carlos Asuaje on your fantasy team or whatever.
Harrison Musgrave makes his debut
On a positive note, the Rockies saw the unexpected debut of one of their top pitching prospects. Musgrave came on when the Rockies had a lead and worked a clean sixth inning to bridge to the heart of the bullpen.
Most nights that will be a good thing for the Rockies. Tonight it was not.
Looking ahead
The Rockies will try to bounce back on Tuesday night as Kyle Freeland takes the mound against Eric Lauer, who will be making his big league debut.