Road trip ends with a quiet loss in a quiet series against the Rockies
DENVER >> Usually a 4-3 trip is something to be pleased with, and the A’s still might be in the grand scheme of things. But it’s the way this one ended that had them kicking themselves on the way back home.
The A’s scored 45 runs in their seven-game trip, but the most surprising numbers come in the lack of runs scored in hitter-friendly Coors Field. Scoring just twice in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Rockies, the A’s were held to four runs as they were swept over three games.
“It’s tough to win a four-game series, but we’re disappointed that we didn’t play better here,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “They pitched well. Every game they were just a little better than we were.”
The previous two nights that saw the A’s (61-46) score just once in each game could be rationalized by the fact that they combined to leave 22 runners on base. But Sunday, very few positives could be taken away from the offensive side.
Save for solo homer runs by Matt Chapman and Khris Davis, the A’s recorded just three singles and never had a runner reach second base.
Having played with the Rockies last season, catcher Jonathan Lucroy was very familiar with the way visiting clubs seem to struggle in Colorado. Even in years when the Rockies (57-47) are not at their best, Coors Field can be a difficult task to overcome.
“I knew coming in here it was
gonna be a tough series,” Lucroy said. “They play well at home and we kept them close, just couldn’t score runs. You’re not gonna win every game. We’ll move on.”
Rockies starter German Marquez went a strong 7 2/3 innings, with his only blemishes the two homers. Though he entered the day with a 5.00 ERA for the season, Marquez was part of a resurgent Colorado start- ing rotation that finished the month of July with a 1.71 ERA at Coors Field, which is a franchise record ERA in a month at home.
“You don’t expect us to score four runs here in a three game series, so you do have to give them credit,” Melvin said. “You can just look at the ERAs, but if you look at them on video, all these guys are really good. They’ve bolstered their bull- pen, they ran out some good arms against us every day and shut us down.”
Back to the grand scheme of things — The A’s return to Oakland for an eight-game homestand just two games back of the Seattle Mariners for the second wildcard spot in the American League. They were three games back when this trip began in Texas last Monday.
Playing well at home will be the next challenge for the A’s. They’re still above .500 in games at the Oakland Coliseum at 26-22, but with a majority of their games at home in the final two months of the season, including 17 of their next 20, winning there will be key if the A’s hope to capture a playoff spot.
“Now we have a chance to go back home and gain some ground again with an extended stay,” Melvin said. “It’s time for us to start playing really well at home. We
do that, we’ll forget about this series.”
Though A’s starter Frankie Montas limited the Rockies to just three runs, it was his lack of length that continued the troubling trend that has been developing in the starting rotation. Other than Sean Manaea, the last time an A’s pitcher has gone at least seven innings in a start came back on June 9 when Chris Bassitt completed seven innings against the Kansas City Royals.
Montas fell to 5-3 on the year with his ERA bumped up to 3.75 on a day where his fastball didn’t seem to have as much movement as it normally does. He was pulled after just 4 1/3 innings, allowing base runners in each inning.
“He was a little wild. Definitely not as sharp as he usually is,” Lucroy said. “He was missing location and got beat because of it. He wasn’t his sharpest but he gave us a chance to win.”
• Franklin Barreto was recalled from TripleA Nashville Sunday after Chad Pinder was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left elbow laceration.
The injury occurred Saturday afternoon, when Pinder was involved in a car accident with his fiancé in downtown Denver before Saturday night’s game. Pinder received stitches on his elbow, but said everyone involved was okay.
“I feel for him,” Melvin said. “That’s a real-life circumstance. Glad it wasn’t worse.”