Following a futile homestand, the Colorado Rockies will try to alter their direction when they open a seven-game trip starting Monday night against the Washington Nationals.
The Rockies concluded an 0-6 homestand with a 7-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
The Nationals, meanwhile, were swept by the Miami Marlins and will limp home after an abysmal 1-8 trip.
The only Washington pitcher to win during the trek, right-hander Cade Cavalli, will start Monday night, and that could mean more bad news for the Rockies.
Cavalli (11-5, 3.22 ERA) has given up three earned runs or less in each of his past 13 starts, going 8-1 with 81 strikeouts in 68 innings.
He has pitched 14 innings without allowing a run in his last two starts, highlighted by an 11-strikeout performance over six frames in a 6-0 win against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
“It’s just a testament to the process … coming in and being the exact same, not riding the highs, not riding the lows,” Cavalli said. “Being consistent in who you are and your routine, that adds to the consistency on the field.”
In his only career start vs. Colorado, Cavalli scattered four hits over six scoreless innings in an 8-0 win on July 22.
Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (5-7, 5.97 ERA) will look to bounce back from getting roughed up by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. He gave up seven runs on eight hits over five innings in a 7-6 loss.
“Probably not what Felt would want,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I thought he competed well, maybe without all of his weapons.”
Over his last seven starts, Feltner is 2-5 with a 9.00 ERA.
He allowed three runs in five innings of a no-decision in 2023 in his only career start vs. the Nationals.
Washington lost the series finale against the Marlins 6-2 on Sunday. The Nationals managed just two runs in each contest of the three-game series.
Dylan Crews and Jorbit Vivas each had an RBI double on Sunday for the Nationals. The highlight for Washington was Jacob Young’s leaping catch at the wall in left-center field with the team trailing by a run in the third inning.
“Anything kind of gives a spark,” Young said. “I think that’s what we need right now. We need to make something go our way. Can’t kind of wish it to go away. We need to make something go our way, and [with] a couple plays, get the snowball start rolling and kind of get going.”
Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams missed Sunday’s game with a left ankle sprain.
The Rockies, meanwhile, unveiled a statue of Hall of Famer Larry Walker and then dropped their ninth straight home game.
Brett Sullivan had an RBI double for Colorado, which was outscored 20-6 by the Guardians.
Adding (minor) injury to insult, Rockies reliever Jimmy Herget was stung by a bee. Schaeffer came out to the mound, but Herget was fine and stayed in the game to complete two scoreless innings.
“A little moment of levity on a rough day,” Schaeffer said.
–Field Level Media
