Rockies' bullpen implodes late in 12-4 loss to Braves as record slides to 13-56

Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post on Jun 13, 2025

Published in Baseball

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Rockies’ Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And in 2025, things will go horribly wrong.

The latest evidence: The Rockies’ 12-4 loss to the Braves on Friday night at Truist Field, in which the Braves scored 11 runs in their last three at-bats.

Consider: Colorado got an excellent start from German Marquez and ripped Atlanta pitching for 14 hits, on the road no less.

But middle reliever Jake Bird, who’s been close to untouchable this season, gave up a three-run homer to Michael Harris II to tie the game, 4-4, in the sixth. In the seventh, Marcell Ozuna blasted a three-run homer to left-center off Victor Vodnik to make it 7-4. Game, set and match, with the truly ugly yet to come.

And so the march to ignominy continues. The Rockies’ 13-56 record is tied with the 1932 Red Sox for the worst start in the majors’ modern era (since 1901). The 1904 Washington Senators were 12-54, with three ties.

The game started well for the Rockies. Third baseman Ryan McMahon, who’s heating up after an ice-cold start to his season, powered a 441-foot, two-run homer in the first and added an RBI single in Colorado’s two-run fourth.

But Colorado wasted chances to blow the game open, failing to score with the bases loaded and no outs in the second. The Rockies, 6-29 on the road, went 4 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.

Marquez provided a vintage performance. He struck out seven over five innings and surrendered just one run. Atlanta rapped six hits against the right-hander, but just one per inning, except in the opening frame.

Ronald Acuna Jr. led off with a double to left, advanced to second on Alex Verdugo’s single, and scored on Matt Olson’s sacrifice fly to left. Marquez blanked the Braves for the next five innings.

Marquez, in the last year of his contract, is a prime trade candidate if he shows he still has the right stuff. Despite a rough start to his season and a 6.62 ERA, he’s been on a solid run. Over his last seven outings, he has a 4.03 ERA with four quality starts.

The Braves turned the game into a laugher with a five-run eighth against lefty Ryan Rolison that included four singles and three Colorado errors, two by first baseman Keston Hiura and one by shortstop Orlando Arcia.