Senzatela still searching in third start since return from TJ surgery

DENVER -- Saturday night’s 13-2 blowout defeat against the Dodgers was a 100th-loss kind of night for the Rockies -- a franchise that didn’t reach triple figures in L’s for its first 30 years, but has done so the last two seasons.

There will be time to analyze how the Rockies can get better in 2025, but Saturday was a singularly poor snapshot of the Rockies’ suffering.

Their pitching yielded 18 hits and nine walks for the second time in club history, the first since May 19, 1999, when the Reds blasted 28 hits and drew nine walks. Reliever Jake Bird filled another poor stat column with two hit batsmen in the top of the ninth.

The offense managed six hits, including Ezequiel Tovar’s team-leading 26th home run of the season during a three-hit night.

Tovar, who didn’t turn 23 until Aug. 1, is the seventh player to record 175 or more hits, 45 or more doubles, and 25 or more homers in his age 22 season. Others are Rafael Devers (2019, Red Sox), Albert Pujols (2001, Cardinals), Alex Rodriguez (1996, Mariners), Cal Ripken Jr. (1983, Orioles), Jack Clark (1978, Giants) and Hal Trosky (1934, Cleveland).

But the operative number on Saturday was 100.

“I’ll state the obvious, it is bothersome,” manager Bud Black said. “Whether it’s loss No. 1, loss No. 50, you don’t like it. You don’t like losing. All of us in this game are competitors.”

The Rockies showed improvement through late August and early September, but they reached the century mark by winning two of their last nine. Four of those losses have come against the Dodgers, who have won the National League West for the 11th time in the last 12 years. But that’s a team the Rockies have to compete against better than on Saturday.

“This is a much different team than we anticipated in April,” said Black, whose team again played much of the year without oft-injured free-agent signee Kris Bryant, but have turned the roster over to youth. “But as the season goes along, We’re measured and evaluated. Where we are now and where we are going are different places.”

Righty Antonio Senzatela made consecutive starts against the Dodgers -- his second and third outings since returning from Tommy John surgery. The first meeting saw Senzatela hold the Dodgers to one run and five hits in five innings.

The second, well.

Senzatela, part of rotations that went to the postseason in 2017 and 2018, gave up a three-run homer to Kiké Hernández in the second inning, and seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. Senzatela also had a balk when Shohei Ohtani was running (although Ohtani managed his 58th steal later) and saw catcher Will Smith time him well and get his first steal of the season.

“Tonight was different,” said Senzatela, who at his best is a low-walk, high contact pitcher. “I couldn’t command anything today. Nothing was working, so I tried to do the best I could.”

Senzatela, who also missed time in 2023 and 2024 because of left knee surgery before last season’s elbow blowout, is part of a group of experienced starters who should be healthy next season.

“I’m going to work this offseason to get better,” Senzatela said. “My arm is good. I’ll do my best with the other stuff and try to get right by next year.”

Black said, “I believe in Senza, thought he was going to be able to keep us in the game. Today he didn’t. He’s made three starts since he’s come back, and he’s still coming back from Tommy John and from a torn ACL two years ago. He’s going to have a good winter of workouts and get ready for ’25.”

Righty Jeff Criswell yielded a three-run shot to Teoscar Hernández in the fifth to officially turn the game into a rout.

“There are young players getting an opportunity to show what they can do, and today wasn’t quite as sharp,” Black said. “I haven’t seen the pitch to Hernández for the three-run homer.

“The two three-run homers got us. That’s six runs, and the game got away from us late.”