DENVER -- The Rockies' series opener against the Giants on Tuesday featured some good, some bad and a whole lot of ugly, primarily from a pitching staff seemingly held together by duct tape. Six Rockies pitchers combined for a season-high 16 strikeouts, but also hit the season’s highwater mark with 11 walks, all en route to a 10-4 loss to open their homestand. 

“It was a tough night for our guys, pretty simple,” manager Bud Black said. “Tonight, [there was] no control. Especially with the fastball, which was frustrating. Fastball control was the problem.”

In the five weeks since Opening Day starter Germán Márquez went on the injured list and ultimately underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Rockies have done a good job of masking their lack of starting pitching depth.

Márquez went on the IL on April 28 (retroactive to April 27), where he has kept company with Antonio Senzatela (started the season recovering from October knee surgery, then on the IL again on May 13, with a right elbow strain), Noah Davis (April 30, right elbow inflammation) and Ryan Feltner (May 14, skull fracture). José Ureña, part of the Opening Day rotation, was released on April 27. Only Kyle Freeland and Austin Gomber have survived from the five-man rotation that started the season.

But somehow, the Rockies started the day having gone 18-15 since April 30, the third-best record in the National League from April 30 through Monday’s games, trailing only the Dodgers (20-12) and the D-backs (19-13).

“It obviously didn't happen tonight,” said long man Peter Lambert, who has been used frequently since his May 4 callup from Triple-A Albuquerque. “It's just one of those nights where we'll move on from it and get back after it tomorrow.”

Tuesday’s tilt against the Giants left that vulnerability exposed and gaping as the newest cog in the rotation, Dinelson Lamet, gave up three runs on six hits and two walks in three innings.

“Some of our starters are down hurt, and they needed somebody to step up,” Lamet said after his second start Tuesday. “I was ready to answer that call.”

The Rockies have been building up his pitch count, and he was able to throw 83 pitches Tuesday, but it only got him through three innings.

“I'm frustrated,” Lamet said, echoing his manager. “I take pride in trying to go deep in the game for my teammates and it didn't work out. The positive is, yeah, they didn't score as many runs. But again, the frustrating part is I wanted to get to that fifth inning mark, and I didn't get there.”

He was followed by Lambert, a starter-in-the wings who gave up three runs on three hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings.

“I didn't really have too much feel out there -- I was throwing a lot of balls,” Lambert said. "I didn't really have command of any of my pictures. My go-to, my changeup, I couldn't really throw it. I kept spiking it glove side. It is what it is. We just have to move on.”

The 16 strikeouts were a good sign, but they may have been more indicative of the fact that the Giants have the second-highest strikeout total in the Majors, posting 599 whiffs in their first 60 games for an average of 10 a game.

“Good stuff,” Black said of the positive stat for his men on the mound. “Walked 11 and how many strikeouts? When you strike out 16 guys, you got good stuff.”

Reliever Daniel Bard epitomized the Rockies' effort from the hill when he came in for the final frame. He entered the game with a 0.55 ERA, second-best among qualified relievers with at least 15 appearances. He walked the bases loaded before pitching coach Darryl Scott came out and advised him to simplify things and stick to his fastball and his hard slider.

“Tonight, he didn't have the feel for the breaking ball,” Black said.

Bard then struck out two, walked in a run and notched a third strikeout to close the books. Of the 11 walks given up by Rockies hurlers, it was only the second walk to come around to score.

“We play 162, right?” Black said in an effort to explain the outbreak of control issues that struck half his pitching staff on one single night. “It's going to happen. It happened tonight.”