Rockies Stat of the Day: April 2021

MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Rockies this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.

April 30: D-backs 7, Rockies 2 -- Rockies hurt by miscues
The Rockies made four errors, marking just the second time since Aug. 14, 2016, that the Rockies have had a four-error game. The other time was in the '20 season, also at Chase Field against the D-backs.

April 29: D-backs 5, Rockies 3 -- Rotation in a slump
As the Rockies went 5-3 during their last homestand, their starters were 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA and held opponents to a .192 batting average. During the club's 1-3 start to this road trip, starters are 0-2 with an 11.15 ERA and a .380 batting average against. Austin Gomber, Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela (who went 4 2/3 and gave up three runs and nine hits in this one) all lasted fewer than five innings. Although all of the pitchers have run into their separate issues, a theme has emerged.

"We're not getting through innings efficiently, consistently," manager Bud Black said. "There's always seems to be a big inning with a big pitch count. Over 33, 34 starts for these guys, hopefully as time goes you'll see a little bit more consistency as far as the pitch efficiency."

April 28: Giants 7, Rockies 3 -- Three runs on free passes
The Rockies issued three bases-loaded walks in a game for the third time in franchise history. Germán Márquez had two and Yency Almonte issued the other. The other times Colorado did this were July 31, 2008, at the Marlins (Jorge De La Rosa had two and Kip Wells had one) and June 26, 1999, at the Padres (Chuck McElroy had two and Mark Brownson had one).

April 27: Rockies 7, Giants 5 (10) -- Seven is a magic number Since the start of the 2017 season, the Rockies are 10-2 at San Francisco when scoring four or more runs. And all-time in San Francisco they are 23-1 when scoring at least seven. But, it's a tough place to score runs. Since '17, the Rockies are 3-21 when scoring three or fewer by the Bay.

April 26: Giants 12, Rockies 0 -- Rough road
A Rockies team that has struggled mightily on the road set a dubious record on Monday night. Their loss to the Giants was their seventh in as many road games. The 2005 team started 1-15 on the road, but it ended its season-opening losing steak after six games.

April 25: Rockies 12, Phillies 2 -- Cron heating up
C.J. Cron began the Rockies' eight-game homestand batting .189. He then went 10-for-27 with three homers and nine RBIs on the homestand, including going 4-for-5 with a two-run homer in Sunday's win, which has increased his season average to .266. The Rockies have gotten production from Raimel Tapia, Ryan McMahon and Trevor Story, who typically bat in the top three spots, and now Cron is heating up in the No. 5 hole.

April 24: Phillies 7, Rockies 5 -- McMahon's deep drought
Ryan McMahon's two-run shot in the fifth was his seventh homer of the season. They have come in five games -- he had three against the D-backs on April 6. The Rockies have not won any game in which McMahon has homered. At least McMahon is a long way from the record. In 1962, the Tigers' Steve Boros homered 12 times before he went deep in a game that his team won, which stands as a record -- one that he and the Rockies would rather not threaten.

April 23: Rockies 5, Phillies 4 -- This bullpen can't be defined
Bullpen roles for Rockies relievers aren't defined, mainly because the corps have walked too many (27 in 62 2/3 innings) and given up too many homers (10). But the club's three-game win streak could be a step toward something better.

In those games, relievers have a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings, with nine strikeouts and no walks. Yency Almonte gave up Rhys Hoskins' solo shot in the seventh. But Ben Bowden and Carlos Estévez bounced back from recent struggles with scoreless outings, and Mychal Givens escaped the ninth with a key double-play grounder that helped to solidify his role as a trusted veteran.

April 21: Rockies 6, Astros 3 -- Starters have 2.84 ERA at home
Rockies starters at home have an eye-popping 2.84 ERA through 12 games, after Austin Gomber held the Astros to two runs and two hits in six innings. Three of the first four games were starts of less than five innings against the Dodgers. Just once has a Rockies starter been charged with more than three earned runs. A few poor bullpen appearances and some well-documented offensive struggles are why Colorado is just 6-6 at home. "They are feeding off each other, they're passing the torch, and there is a great esprit de corps amongst the group," manager Bud Black said.

April 20: Rockies 6, Astros 2 -- Gray cooking at home
Jon Gray, who held the Astros to one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings, became the third pitcher in Rockies history to pitch five or more innings and allow A) one or no runs and B) four or fewer hits in C) three straight starts at Coors Field. He joined Ubaldo Jiménez (July 8-Aug. 4, 2010) and Jeff Francis (April 23-May 20, 2006). Additionally, Gray is the first pitcher in Rockies history to allow three or fewer hits in at least 6 2/3 innings in consecutive starts at Coors Field within the same season.

April 18: Mets 2, Rockies 1 -- Starting pitching not the problem
It's not the blowouts that reveal a team is short in key areas. The 4-12 Rockies have lost nine games by two or fewer runs. Issues with the offense, which managed four hits in the loss to the Mets, and the bullpen (not counting Sunday as Robert Stephenson, Mychal Givens and Daniel Bard combined for three scoreless) have been more to blame than a starting pitching staff that has a 3.66 ERA overall (3.00 at Coors Field).

April 17: Mets 4, Rockies 3 (Game 1); Rockies 7, Mets 2 (Game 2) -- Unlucky times for Story
Trevor Story has been pretty unlucky at the plate to start the 2021 season, according to Statcast. Entering play Saturday, his batting average was .260, but his expected batting average (based on launch angle and exit velocity of batted balls, plus strikeouts and walks) was .295. As for his slugging percentage, Story was slugging just .360, but his expected slugging percentage was .563.

April 15: Dodgers 7, Rockies 5 -- One tough road trip
The Rockies finished 0-6 on their first road trip of the season -- against National League West foes San Francisco and Los Angeles. This is the seventh time in club history the Rockies have gone 0-6 or worse on a road trip. The dubious feat was last accomplished in 2014, when they went winless in six total games at the Mets and the Cardinals. Also, their 3-10 start to the season overall is tied with the '19 and '05 clubs for the worst 13-game beginning in club history.

April 14: Dodgers 4, Rockies 2 -- Scoreless streak snapped
Trevor Story's RBI single in the top of the fifth on Wednesday ended a 26-inning scoreless streak -- tied for the fifth-longest such drought in Rockies history. The Rockies had not scored since the top of the fifth on Saturday at San Francisco. The longest dry spells in club history were 30 innings, from Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2010; 28 innings, from May 9-12, 2013; 27 innings, from July 27-30, 2009; 27 innings, from Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 2003; and 26 innings, from Sept. 27-30, 2012.

April 13: Dodgers 7, Rockies 0 -- Dodger trouble continues
The Rockies nearly interrupted the Dodgers' reign over the National League West -- currently eight years -- in 2018. And maybe that got the Dodgers mad at them. Since the start of '19, the Rockies are 8-26 against their rivals from L.A. The run of futility makes the fact the Rockies were the only team to defeat the Dodgers in a series last year, when they won their first World Series title since 1988, a true statistical oddity.

April 11: Giants 4, Rockies 0 -- Rockies lacking sixth sense
Strikeouts by Josh Fuentes and Sam Hilliard with runners at second and third to kill a sixth-inning rally summed up a rough series in which the Rockies went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

April 10: Giants 4, Rockies 3 -- McMahon launches another homer
Ryan McMahon's two-run homer against the Giants gave him five on the season in 33 at-bats. Last year, he hit nine home runs in 172 at-bats.

April 9: Giants 3, Rockies 1 -- Too many bases on balls
With seven walks on Friday, the Rockies have issued 41 free passes in 75 innings pitched. That's 4.92 per nine innings -- the highest such figure in the Majors following the conclusion of Friday's game. The Royals entered the day leading MLB at 4.85, according to STATS Inc.

April 8: Rockies 7, D-backs 3 -- Power behind the plate
Rookie catcher Dom Nuñez's three-run home run off the D-backs' Merrill Kelly in the sixth inning was his third of the season. Last year, in a shortened season, Rockies catchers managed only two homers -- both by Elias Díaz, who is still with the club.

April 7: Rockies 8, D-backs 0 -- Hampson's hustle pays off
This stat has legs, so to speak. Garrett Hampson led off and had a career-high three steals. As a result, manager Bud Black said Hampson would start Thursday afternoon's matinee vs. Arizona. If Hampson needed inspiration, his mother, Marjie Hampson, provided it in a text to her son: "She said, 'Leadoff!! Be aggressive!'" Hampson said. "I took it to heart. When 'Moms' tells me to do something, I'm going to listen."

April 6: D-backs 10, Rockies 8 (13) -- McMahon's 14 total bases
Ryan McMahon not only hit a career-high three home runs, but he tied a club record with 14 total bases. The mark was reached previously by Jeff Cirillo in 2000, Larry Walker in '04 and Nolan Arenado in '17. Also, McMahon became the first player to deliver four extra-base hits and three home runs in a losing effort since Ellis Burks, who went 5-for-7 with three homers for the Indians in a 10-9, 12-inning loss to the Twins on June 19, 2001.

April 4: Dodgers 4, Rockies 2 -- Gomber's seven-walk outing
Left-hander Austin Gomber became the first Rockies starter to walk seven batters through the first three innings of an outing. He is the first in MLB to allow only one hit and one earned run, despite walking seven, though three innings since the Red Sox's Bob Ojeda on April 30, 1985.

April 3: Dodgers 6, Rockies 5 -- Fuentes en fuego
Josh Fuentes, who knocked a two-run, opposite-field home run in the seventh off Blake Treinen, has four of his six career home runs and 14 of his 27 career RBIs against the Dodgers.

April 2: Dodgers 11, Rockies 6 -- One inning, four homers
The Rockies matched a club record with four home runs in an inning. Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon, Dom Nuñez and Sam Hilliard went deep against the Dodgers in the seventh inning. It matched the feat of Henry Blanco, Neifi Perez, Dante Bichette and Angel Echevarria on June 6, 1999, at Coors against the Brewers.

April 1: Rockies 8, Dodgers 5 -- Story right at home
Trevor Story loves home openers. He went 2-for-5 in Thursday's victory over the Dodgers, and is hitting .407 (11-for-27) with six home runs and nine RBIs in his six home openers.