Rockies implode in eighth inning. lose 12-4 to Rays

It was déjà vu all over again for the Rockies on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

It was a double dose of ugly.

And it was a stark reminder that the Rockies remain light years away from becoming a competitive team.

The Rockies entered the eighth inning with a 4-3 lead over Tampa Bay. They ended up losing, 12-4, as the Rays pounded Colorado’s bullpen for nine runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batter.

Actually, it should have only been seven hits because Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones misplayed a line drive by Randy Arozarena but the official scorer ruled it a hit and an RBI for Arozarena instead of an error on Jones.

Flashback to Sunday afternoon at Coors Field: The White Sox pummeled relievers Matt Koch, Justin Bruihl and Justin Lawrence for seven runs in the eighth en route to a 10-5 win.

Tuesday night, lefty reliever Brent Suter, so good this season, gave up five runs on four hits and a walk. He took the mound having given up just two hits over his last seven appearances, but the Rays scratched out timely hits against him.

Manager Bud Black, as he often does when an inning and a game go bad, described how many of the Rays’ hits off found holes in the infield.

“There were a number of balls tonight that eluded (shortstop Ezequiel) Tovar, and eluded (third baseman Ryan) McMahon,” Black told reporters in Tampa Bay. “That’s baseball, right? A game of inches.”

Right-hander Daniel Bard, who continues having trouble finding the strike zone, had a terrible one-third of an inning. Bard gave up four hits and plunked Jose Siri to load the bases. That set the stage for Osleivis Basabe’s grand slam, the first homer of his career.

Before the eighth-inning carnage, there was a bright spot for Colorado.

Michael Toglia, getting the start at first base, homered in Colorado’s two-run second. He jumped on Zack Littell’s first-pitch fastball, driving the ball to right-center for his third homer of the season. The inning began with a triple to left field by Jones, who scored on Jurickson Profar’s sacrifice fly.

Colorado lefty Ty Blach muddled through his start, needing 89 pitches to get through four innings. The Rays tagged him for three runs on seven hits. Blach walked three and struck out three.

A leadoff walk in the fourth by Curtis Mead led to a 3-2 Tampa Bay lead. Luke Raley followed by with a single and Vandy Diaz drove in Mead with a one-out single.

Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.

Source: Read Full Article