Thursday, May 28

Courtney Hollmon contributed to this report.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The Rockies’ trip to Dodger Stadium has yielded much-needed encouraging pitching news.

In the Rockies’ 5-3 loss on Monday night, right-hander Tanner Gordon held the Dodgers to one run and six hits in five innings, with three strikeouts against one walk. Also, righty Ryan Feltner rejoined the team after missing five weeks with right ulnar nerve inflammation.

Those developments came with the Rockies’ rotation reeling from the losses of righty Chase Dollander and lefty Jose Quintana to elbow injuries. Dollander has been shut down since leaving his May 14 start at Pittsburgh with a right elbow sprain. Quintana exited a start Sunday at Arizona, and was scheduled for an MRI on his left elbow on Tuesday. With righty Michael Lorenzen and lefty Kyle Freeland struggling, the rotation has been in a spiral.

Monday marked the first start of the season for Gordon, who last year led the Rockies with six wins and tied for the MLB rookie lead in quality starts with seven. Sent to Triple-A Albuquerque to start the season, Gordon pitched six games in long relief and one as the bulk pitcher behind an opener.

In Monday’s start, Gordon saw the leadoff batter reach in four of his five innings but he kept damage minimal.

“Obviously, we want to come out with the win,” Gordon told reporters. “I was able to keep us in the game for those five innings, and the defense was making good plays behind me. I was just staying out of the middle of the zone.”

The Rockies sent Gordon down during spring to work on diversifying his pitch mix. He's honing his breaking balls at the Major League level and focusing on additional areas.

“I think, obviously, limiting those innings where they get guys on, and limiting my pitch count is going to enable me to get deeper into the game,” he said. “I think I’ll be a little bit tighter with two strikes.”

Feltner was 1-1 with a 6.50 ERA in his two Major League starts before the injury. After rehabbing, he had two strong Minor League starts, including five innings with five strikeouts for Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon.

Feltner said the nerve tightness has “been gone for a long time,” so he has concentrated on building endurance. An announcement on his pitching schedule is expected within days.

“I haven't talked to the coaching staff yet about when I'll pitch again,” he said. “I assume it's coming up soon. I'm feeling good with my process and not looking too far ahead.”

The hits have ebbed and flowed for the Rockies' No. 2 prospect (MLB Pipeline No. 75), Charlie Condon, who is batting .250 and extended his hit streak to eight games with his first-inning homer off El Paso lefty Fernando Sanchez. It was Condon's sixth extra-base hit and second homer during the run. His on-base percentage is .382.

The homer was Condon’s sixth of the season, but his first at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park.

“It’s been funny. You hear so much, like, ‘Man, Albuquerque is such a hitter-friendly park -- you’ve got to get there,'” Condon said. “And I was like, 'Man, it’s not even really clicking for me yet.' So it’s nice to break the ice on that one.

“I’ve had some success in other parks, but as things heat up here in Albuquerque, it’s going to continue to be a very hitter-friendly park, and I’m looking forward to swinging it.”

The Rockies are designing the rehab assignment for righty Jeff Criswell to build him into a multi-inning option. In his eighth Minor League appearance, Criswell struck out three in two innings.

Criswell, 27, debuted in 2024 and posted a 2.75 ERA in 13 appearances, but underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training in 2025. While working toward being a viable option in 2026, Criswell is throwing all of his pitches. Velocity has fluctuated, while command has been steadier.

“I’m throwing fastball, slider, changeup, and I’ve kept it simple,” Criswell said. “When you talk about command, simplifying things can be good in that case -- just focus on those three pitches.”

Dodgers megastar Shohei Ohtani is 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double against Rockies right-hander and fellow Japanese star Tomoyuki Sugano. But they have never opposed each other as pitchers. 

That will change on Wednesday night in a game that will be followed, not only in Los Angeles and Denver, but by an entire baseball-driven country.

“I'm obviously excited for it. If I can, I want to try to get a win,” Sugano said. “Personally, I don't know what this means, but I'm sure there's a lot of fans in Japan who are excited, so hopefully we can try to make this exciting.”

And after Ohtani was hit by a pitch on his hand on Tuesday night, Sugano may get to avoid facing the two-way superstar at the plate.

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