DENVER -- Thursday was the new day that Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon needed, mainly to wash away the previous night’s 15-run loss to the Brewers. “We’ve got to get going, got to play better baseball,” McMahon said. “Last night was a little embarrassing – all three phases of the game, pitching, defense, offense.” That much was known. And Thursday, with Brenton Doyle homering to lead off the first inning and driving in five runs, the Rockies accounted for themselves better by finishing the first homestand of 2025 with a 7-2 victory over the Brewers, only giving up four hits. Was Thursday an indication that McMahon and other leaders are handling the 3-9 start in a productive manner? “In the clubhouse as game time was approaching and even in the dugout, I felt as though we weren’t going to lose this game,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Now, we might have gotten beat but we weren’t going to lose it.” |
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Wednesday didn’t end and Thursday didn’t begin with some fire-eating pep talk from Black. McMahon admitted to giving a short speech to address the unacceptable performance on Wednesday, but it didn’t reach the level of a dreaded, desperate players-only meeting. “I don’t think we’re there yet,” said McMahon, whose double ignited the eighth-inning rally that Doyle capped with a three-run double. “It’s still early. A lot of guys are still trying to find their groove. And once we do, we need to keep going.” Thursday was a day in the sunshine to end a dark homestand. After opening the Coors Field schedule by going 2-4, the Rockies will travel to face the Padres and Dodgers, who began Thursday a combined 20-7. “This was a big momentum shift for us,” said Doyle, whose .302/.339/.528 slash line makes him one of the Rockies’ few consistent performers. “We want to build on it.” The starting pitcher has been good more often than not. On Thursday, Ryan Feltner ignored flu-like symptoms, struck out seven and held the Brewers to one run on three hits and two walks. Feltner opened the fourth by yielding consecutive doubles, followed by consecutive walks. He threw 10 straight balls at one point, but he got Joey Ortiz to line straight at McMahon, then fanned Oliver Dunn and Eric Haase. “I proved a lot to myself in that moment,” Feltner said. “There were moments in the past where maybe I wouldn’t have gotten through. I’d like to continue to get through those more times than not.” |
There have been more games with dazzling defense than four-error efforts like Wednesday’s 17-2 defeat. The offense has been largely unproductive. The root problem is the many Rockies trying to establish themselves descend into well-meaning but counterproductive effort levels. “Whether it’s young guys or veterans, guys came out of camp feeling they’ve got to do more to produce for this team, show who they really are, when in reality all it takes is just being yourself,” veteran pitcher Kyle Freeland said. “Be the best version of yourself every single day, pull for your teammates and work toward a single goal of winning a baseball game.” One player in such a rut was Michael Toglia, who knocked 25 homers last year but entered Thursday batting .140. He found success Thursday – 3-for-4 with his first RBI of the season, an eighth-inning double with two on that was nearly his first homer. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone, what, 10 games without an RBI?” Toglia said. “I thought I was going to have three there.” The five-run eighth – which included Toglia’s double, Doyle’s game-breaking double and Zac Veen’s double for his first career RBI – saw the Rockies deliver relaxed at-bats, which had been missing. |
“I’ve been trying to do a little too much at the plate, especially when I know we need that big hit, and I think a lot of guys are similar,” veteran catcher Jacob Stallings said. “As weird as it sounds, it’s trying a little less instead of trying to do it all by themselves. “I’m 35 years old and I’m still doing it. Everybody wants to do it for the guy next to them. It’s letting it happen and not trying to force it.” That includes inspirational speeches. McMahon’s after Wednesday loss was just the right amount of verbiage and force, judging by Thursday’s performance. “The boys responded,” he said. |
MEMORIES OF HIS ROOKIE YEAR … OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL |
Spokane, Wash., is a long way from Red Oak, Texas, where High-A Spokane outfielder and Rockies No.12 prospect Jared Thomas grew up. So what he heard before the team’s game on Saturday surprised him. “I go out to stretch on the foul line with the rest of the team, and I hear my name get screamed pretty loudly,” Thomas said. “Nobody I knew was at the game, as far as I knew. I turned around and she’s got a poster made out for me. “My jaw just hit the floor.” The poster had various childhood pictures of Thomas with a message that read, in part: “Your 1st grade teacher is SO proud of you,” Thomas said. During his rookie year at Life School in Red Oak, his teacher was, Thomas said, “Miss Rasmussen.” Thomas is 21 and a pro athlete, but your first-grade teacher is your first-grade teacher. You don’t call her by her first name. So Thomas, respectfully, wasn’t sure. Well, thanks to Bud Bareither, Spokane’s public relations director, her name is Nicole Rasmussen, who now lives 35 or so minutes from the ballpark in Spokane. She moved to the area a while ago, and is still teaching, in Davenport, Wash. When she heard Thomas would be with the team, she contacted his parents via Facebook to confirm. Then she surprised him. And he took care of his teacher by handing her a bat and posing for a picture. “She contacted my parents and was freaking out about that, and that made me happy,” Thomas said. “She was super-proud of me.” |
Brenton Doyle’s first-inning leadoff home run on Thursday against the Brewers on Thursday afternoon provided a reminder of a charitable partnership. Doyle’s home run hit the red and white mitt display beyond the left-field fence. It triggered a $5,000 donation from UCHealth via the Colorado Rockies Foundation to local nonprofit Freedom Service Dogs, which provides service dogs to people with limited mobility, young adults with autism, veterans and first responders to help with disabilities such as PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. A check will be presented to Freedom Service Dogs at the end of the season. Last season, UCHealth and the Colorado Rockies Foundation donated $25,000 to Next Chapter Colorado. |
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MAKING NOISE WITH THE BAT, TOO |
During Spring Training, Black said non-roster invitee Braxton Fulford was the best technical catcher in camp. A sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech in 2021, Fulford, 26, has put together a nice offensive streak at Triple-A Albuquerque. He homered twice on Tuesday to extend his streak of games with a homer when he had an at-bat to four. “He’s sticking to his approach, getting off his best swing and making pitchers pay for their mistakes,” said Jesse Stender, the Rockies’ assistant player development director. “He’s taking advantage of an opportunity and helping the team win on both sides of the ball.” Fulfort entered Thursday slashing .345/.424/.897 with five homers and eight RBIs. |
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