Mariners 7, Rockies 0
Luis Castillo allowed two hits and one walk across seven scoreless innings, leading his Seattle Mariners to a 7–0 win over the Colorado Rockies Saturday night at Coors Field in Denver. It was the sixth-coldest home game in Rockies history, but it only iced the bats of the hosts, as the Mariners smacked 15 hits.
Rockies – Mariners Game Summary
Cal Raleigh got the Mariners on the board in the top of the second with a leadoff homer off Rockies starter Dakota Hudson. They added a run in the third on a two-out RBI single by Cal Raleigh. He drove in Julio Rodriguez, who singled and stole second to lead off the inning.
It became a 3–0 game in the third thanks to an unearned run. With two outs and Josh Rojas on first, J.P. Crawford hit a grounder to the right side. Rockies first baseman Elehuris Montero muffed it, putting Crawford on first as Rojas advanced to third. Rodriguez made the error a costly one when he singled Rojas home.
The Game Slips Even Further Away
The fifth inning saw an even more costly Rockies error. A walk by Raleigh chased Hudson from the game. Consecutive singles off reliever Victor Vodnik loaded the bases for Jonatan Clase, who singled to right. Sean Bouchard charged hard, hoping to field the ball in time to hold the damage to one run. But he overran the ball, and the Mariners were off to the races. Bouchard turned around and chased the ball as Clase tried to make it all the way home. Bouchard gathered the ball and fired to relay man Alan Trejo, who gunned Clase down at the plate for the first out of the inning. A walk and a groundout put Josh Rojas at second with two outs for Rodriguez, who slapped another RBI single to center and made the score 7–0.
Rockies relievers Tyler Kinley and Anthony Molina combined for four scoreless innings to keep the score from becoming more lopsided. But after a fluke hit by Bouchard with two outs in the fifth, a high fly ball towards first that the infielders lost in the blowing snow flurries, the Rockies did not have another baserunner until a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth by Ezequiel Tovar. Tovar advanced to third on a groundout by Ryan McMahon but could not score. Elias Diaz was hit by a pitch before Montero flied to right, ending the game.
What Went Right for the Rockies
Pitching after the Fifth
Kinley and Molina have both struggled so far this season, but they each held the Mariners scoreless Saturday. Only having to use two relievers in this game greatly helped the Rockies for Sunday, when they have a double header to make up for Friday’s postponement. Kinley pitched for one inning, and Molina pitched for three. Additionally, this was the first scoreless outing of Molina’s young career.
What Went Wrong for the Rockies
Offensive Production
Not only were the Rockies held to only three hits, but no runner reached second base until the ninth inning. They only had one extra-base hit, that being the ninth-inning double by Tovar. Furthermore, the Rockies only had five baserunners: three from the hits, one from a walk, and one from a hit batsman with two outs in the ninth.
Defense
The Rockies committed three errors Saturday, with the first two leading to runs. A seventh-inning error by Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle on a single to center by Rodriguez, who had four hits in the game, allowed Crawford to go from first to third, but it did not amount to anything on the scoreboard.
Quick Hits
The Rockies have now lost six in a row, their longest losing streak since September 17–24, 2023, when they lost seven straight. Their 4–16 start is the worst 20-game start in club history.
Saturday marked the first game of the season in which Victor Vodnik allowed a run. It snapped a scoreless streak of eight appearances and 12 1/3 innings.
Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez went 4-for-5 with a run scored, two RBI, and two stolen bases. It was the ninth game of his career with four hits or more and his second with four-plus hits and two stolen bases.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh went 4-for-4 with two runs, a homer, two RBI, and a walk. He is the first Mariners catcher to knock four hits and reach base five times since Dan Wilson, who did so June 11, 1996 on the road against the Minnesota Twins.
Looking Ahead
Castillo (1–4) earned the win, with Hudson (0–3) taking the loss.
The Rockies (4–16) and Mariners (10–10) play again Sunday in a day-night double header. In Game One, Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill (0–2, 5.57 ERA) will start against Mariners right-hander George Kirby (2–2, 6.64 ERA). First pitch will be at 1:10 pm Mountain Daylight Time. In the second game, Rockies right-hander Peter Lambert (first start; 2–0, 2.31 ERA in long relief) will toe the slab against Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (1–2, 7.98 ERA). First pitch for the second game will be at 6:10 pm Mountain Daylight Time.
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