Cron homers late in tough loss, but Rox wrap winning homestand

DENVER -- A winning homestand ended with a 4-1 loss to the Astros on Wednesday afternoon in which the Rockies had two hits, but it also finished with a glorious impression -- C.J. Cron crushing a home run to center field in the bottom of the ninth.

With the Rockies at 37-59, often something poor will be the lasting impression. For example, ask anyone about winning two of three from the Angels on June 23-25, and they’re more likely to remember the 25-1 loss in the middle game of that three-game set. The optics of that loss buried the reality of the series.

Cron helped the optics on Wednesday. Had he gone down like so many others, it would have been just the ninth one-hit shutout in Coors Field history, the fifth by an opponent. That history-making feat may have overshadowed going 3-2 against the Yankees and the defending World Series champion Astros coming out of the All-Star break.

“Against the Yankees, we played well, pitched well,” said Rockies manager Bud Black, whose team will travel to Miami and Washington starting Friday. “This series, we pitched well. We didn’t hit today. Just keep plugging along. That’s the mantra.”

With that sober assessment, let’s look at three takeaways from Wednesday:

1. Cron is heating up … and you know what time of year it is
The homer off Ryan Pressly was Cron’s third in the past four games and fourth in his past nine.

“He’s doing it off good pitchers,” Black noted. “[Clay] Holmes for the Yankees -- homer, grand slam. Pressly, All-Star, homer. He’s starting to swing the bat a little better.”

Cron missed 39 games with a back injury. In 16 games since his return, he’s slashing .309/.345/.564 with four homers, two doubles, nine RBIs and just nine strikeouts in 55 at-bats.

While Cron admitted he can "still feel it every once in a while, but it’s manageable,” the 33-year-old is moving easier at first base, and he is swinging without inhibitions.

“I've been around long enough to know it could flip on a dime, on a switch, so I don't really put too much stock into whether I'm going good or bad,” Cron said. “I just trust in my approach and stick with my game plan, try to [have] professional at-bats. And whatever happens after that happens.”

The Rockies took unwitting criticism for not dealing Cron at least year’s Trade Deadline. His contract was club-friendly, but his .083 batting average in the nine games from the All-Star break to the end of July was not contender-friendly. But Cron’s recent performance could attract calls to general manager Bill Schmidt as the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline approaches.

2. Gomber's win streak ends, but he gains from experience
Starter Austin Gomber leaped angrily and yelled into his shirt and glove after yielding a two-run sixth-inning homer to Chas McCormick for a 4-0 deficit. But it was the scream of a man who appreciated the offensive efficiency of the defending World Series champs.

“I was so frustrated at the end there, because I felt like I had really good stuff and made a lot of really good pitches -- and they were just better,” said Gomber, who was charged with four runs on eight hits, with five strikeouts. “When you feel like you gave it a really good effort and still came out on the short end, that's where the frustration was.”

Twice the Astros hit leadoff doubles -- Jake Meyers in the third and Kyle Tucker in the sixth. Both times, the runner moved with a productive out and scored on a single.

Gomber noted that when he reviewed pitches that were hit, some were where he wanted them. He didn’t think the homer was a poor pitch, but McCormick was thinking ahead of him.

“Even though I gave up more runs today, I felt better than I did last time out,” Gomber said. “I'm looking forward to going out again.”

3. Rockies hope for good news on Bryant
Of course, the 2023 Rockies are always either dealing with injury or hoping for good news. On Wednesday, Kris Bryant, who had homered in three of the past nine games, was hit in the left wrist/forearm area by a pitch from Brandon Bielak, who tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and has thrown 12 2/3 scoreless frames in two winning starts against Colorado.

But Black said X-rays did not reveal a break, so Bryant, who stayed in the game until the top of the eighth, should be ready for Miami.