How Closely Did You Watch Friday Night?
Five questions. Separate the casual fans from the box-score readers.
After Milwaukee struck out Jake McCarthy to open the game, what did the Rockies do immediately?
- Karros and Carrigg hit back-to-back doubles — Correct. Kyle Karros and Cole Carrigg hit consecutive doubles right after that first out, putting Colorado ahead for good before Milwaukee could blink.
- Hunter Goodman hit a two-run homer — Not quite. Goodman singled home Carrigg after the doubles — it was a methodical rally, not a power play.
- Karros drew a walk and stole second — No — the Rockies went doubles, not walks. Karros and Carrigg hit back-to-back doubles to spark the early lead.
- TJ Rumfield hit a pinch-hit RBI — Rumfield's big moment came later — in the seventh inning, as a pinch hitter against Grant Anderson. The opener belonged to Karros and Carrigg.
Sugano allowed two runs on Friday. What did the two hits that drove them in have in common?
- Both were home runs — one over 400 feet — Exactly right. Christian Yelich hit a 413-foot leadoff drive in the first and Brice Turang went 434 feet in the sixth. Two solo shots, both massive.
- Both came with runners in scoring position — Actually neither was a traditional RBI situation — both were solo home runs, solo blasts that Sugano simply couldn't prevent.
- Both came off relievers, not Sugano — Both runs came off Sugano himself. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up those two solo homers before exiting.
- Both came in the first three innings — The first came in inning one (Yelich), but the second came in the sixth (Turang). Sugano held the Brewers scoreless for four innings in between.
Friday was Sugano's second start back from the injured list. What had sidelined him?
- Back spasms — Correct. Sugano missed three weeks due to back spasms before returning to the rotation, making Friday just his second start back.
- Oblique strain — Not an oblique — it was back spasms that cost Sugano three weeks, a common and nagging injury for pitchers.
- Elbow inflammation — No elbow trouble reported. Back spasms were the issue that put him on the injured list for three weeks.
- Hamstring tightness — Wrong location. Sugano dealt with back spasms — a pitching injury — not a lower-extremity issue.
The ninth inning got tense. How did Jordan Romano close it out after two straight singles?
- Pop up, strikeout, fly out — three straight outs — Exactly. Romano got Joey Ortiz to pop up, struck out Gary Sanchez, and retired Christian Yelich on a fly to right. His eighth save in 10 opportunities.
- Double play to end the inning — No double play — Romano earned three individual outs: a pop-up, a strikeout, and a fly ball to right field.
- He walked two batters but stranded them — Romano issued no walks in the ninth. He was efficient — three batters, three outs, after inheriting runners at first and second.
- He struck out the side — Only one strikeout (Sanchez) — Romano mixed a pop-up and fly ball with that K to finish off the Brewers.
The Rockies are one win away from matching their 2024 total. What did Colorado finish with last year?
- 43 wins — Correct. Colorado finished 43-119 last season — the worst record in baseball. At 42-63 right now, they're one win from that mark with far more games still to play.
- 38 wins — Last year's total was actually 43 wins — bad, but not quite that bad. Colorado is at 42 now and closing in on that mark.
- 51 wins — 51 would be a significant improvement over 2024. The Rockies actually finished 43-119 last year — already surpassed is not quite right at 42.
- 47 wins — Colorado's 2024 finish was 43-119. At 42 wins and climbing, they're already within striking distance of topping that total.
That's the strange arithmetic of this Rockies season: a team with the National League's worst record is quietly closing in on a milestone. And Friday night, Sugano was the reason it's even possible to talk about progress.
Back from the injured list after three weeks with back spasms, the right-hander didn't look like someone finding his footing. He struck out five, worked 5 1/3 innings, and let the offense do the rest — which it did, early and efficiently.
Colorado didn't wait for Milwaukee to make mistakes. After Shane Drohan struck out Jake McCarthy to open the game, Kyle Karros and Cole Carrigg hit consecutive doubles. Hunter Goodman singled home Carrigg. Before the Brewers' starter had retired three batters in the first inning, Colorado was in front — and they never gave it back.
They kept chipping away. McCarthy led off the third with a triple and scored on a Karros single. In the fourth, Willi Castro singled, stole second, advanced on a grounder, and scored on Mickey Moniak's sacrifice fly. By the time Drohan departed in the seventh — after a career-high five runs allowed in six innings — TJ Rumfield had greeted the new Milwaukee pitcher with a pinch-hit double to make it 5-1.
How Friday's Win Unfolded
- 1st Inning — Karros and Carrigg double back-to-back; Goodman singles in Carrigg
- 1st Inning — Yelich launches a 413-foot leadoff homer off Sugano
- 3rd Inning — McCarthy triples and scores on Karros single
- 4th Inning — Willi Castro steals second, scores on Moniak sacrifice fly
- 6th Inning — Turang blasts a 434-foot solo homer off Sugano
- 7th Inning — Rumfield pinch-hit double off Grant Anderson scores Moniak
- 9th Inning — Romano escapes bases-on-singles trouble; records 8th save
Friday's Starter Matchup: Sugano vs. Drohan
| Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) | Shane Drohan (MIL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Decision | Win (10-4) | Loss (5-4) |
| Innings Pitched | 5 1/3 | 6 |
| Runs Allowed | 2 | 5 (career-high) |
| Strikeouts | 5 | 6 |
| Hits Allowed | HR x2 (413 ft, 434 ft) | Doubles, singles, triple |
Romano's ninth-inning escape act is worth revisiting, because the Rockies almost handed it back. Andrew Vaughn and Jake Bauers singled consecutively to start the frame, bringing the tying run to the plate. But Romano settled in — pop-up, strikeout, fly to right — and it was over. Eight saves now in 10 chances.
Milwaukee entered Friday as the NL Central leader. Colorado still has the worst record in the league. And yet the Brewers went home with an L because the Rockies scored five times before Milwaukee's pitcher could find a rhythm, and Sugano held things together long enough for Romano to finish.
The Season in Numbers
- 42 — Rockies Wins
- 10 — Sugano Wins
- 43 — 2024 Total Wins
- 8 — Romano Saves
What to Watch Saturday in Milwaukee
- Ryan Feltner takes the hill for Colorado — The right-hander comes in at 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA. A second straight win would give Colorado back-to-back victories over the NL Central leaders.
- Robert Gasser counters for Milwaukee — The Brewers send out Gasser at 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA — a beatable number if Colorado's offense can find another fast start like Friday.
- Watch the Rockies' win total — At 42 wins, one more puts Colorado ahead of their full 2024 season total. The 2024 team finished 43-119. This squad still has significant baseball left to play.
Follow the Series
- Saturday's Matchup: Ryan Feltner (3-4, 5.48 ERA) vs. Robert Gasser (2-4, 4.91 ERA) in Milwaukee.
- The Milestone Watch: Colorado (42-63) needs one win to match the 2024 Rockies' full-season total of 43 wins.
- Sugano's Health: Friday was only Sugano's second start back from a three-week absence due to back spasms. His durability through the back half of the season is the key rotation storyline.