DENVER — The Rockies entered their last homestand with a chance to make a dent in their National League west competitors quest for a a division title.
They didn’t come close to doing that.
Instead, the Rockies dropped two of three to the Dodgers and all three to the Giants, including losing 6-2 on Sunday.
They had a chance, tying the game in the bottom of the seventh. But Daniel Bard walked two and allowed the winning run to score in the top of the ninth. Then the Giants added three more runs just for good measure off a home run from Brandon Crawford.
The Rockies had no walk-off magic in them to match, and were swept by the same team for the second time this season at Coors Field for the first time since the field opened in 1995.
“To win a game, you need all facets. … That’s been a bit of the bugaboo,” manager Bud Black said. “We didn’t get the big hit, the Dodgers did. This series, the Giants got the big hit late in the game.”
This was the Rockies’ last game against a contender this season, and it was as indicative as any as to where they stand. The Giants have outscored them 116-60 this season, as the Rockies went a franchise-worst 4-15 against them. It’s just the fourth time that the Rockies have lost 15 teams to the same team in a single season.
After sweeping the Rockies, the Giants remain two games ahead of the Dodgers in the National League West race. The Rockies will now host the Nationals for three games before heading to Arizona later this week to wrap up their schedule.
Antonio Senzatela will get one of those starts against the Diamondbacks. On Sunday, he made his last at Coors Field for the season. He wasn’t flashy, but Senzatela has provided the Rockies with something even more valuable: consistency.
In the second half of the season, Senzatela has been the Rockies’ most reliable starter. He’s pitched at least six innings in 15 of his last 17 innings, including on Sunday, when he gave up just two earned runs. He ran into traffic often, giving up eight total hits, but did enough to get himself out of most situations. His ERA right now is 4.10, his lowest for a full season.
On offense, the Rockies struck out 16 times, with Giants starter Kevin Gausman recording 11 of those. Sam Hilliard and Brendan Rodgers, who have both been hitting much better in the second half of the season, struck out three times each. Charlie Blackmon and Trevor Story, who Black speculated feel extra pressure because of their veteran status, were sent packing twice.
“It’s that fine line of being aggressive and being able to lay off the border line strikes,” Black said. “That’s what makes the Giants successful. Those players that they have on their roster have that skill. Our guys are trying to get there.”
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