Rox look to turn the page after historic loss to Angels

DENVER -- Rockies manager Bud Black wasn't interested in diving into all those record book pages that were rewritten during Saturday night’s 25-1 beating at the hands of the Angels at Coors Field.

“I don’t think about records,” Black said. “One game. It’s one game.”

For record-oriented folk, it was the largest margin of defeat (24 runs) and the second-most runs given up in a single game by the Rockies in the club’s 31 seasons.

The Angels’ third inning, which began on a dubious note as Chase Anderson served up consecutive home runs to Mike Trout, Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss, was the worst in club history in terms of runs (13) and batters faced (16). The frame also tied for the most hits (10) and home runs (four, after Mickey Moniak added a two-run shot off Matt Carasiti) in an inning.

Rather than reflect upon history, the Rockies evaluated and compartmentalized their ninth loss in the last 10 games.

They also began moving on to their next phase by trading veteran corner infielder/designated hitter Mike Moustakas -- who made the team after signing a Minor League contract late in Spring Training, performed solidly offensively and made off-field contributions -- to the Angels for Minor League pitcher Connor Van Scoyoc.

"'Moose’ was great for us, but it gives opportunity to our young players,” said Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt, who will watch Moustakas face the Rockies in Sunday's finale. “And Moustakas is from Southern California, and he goes to a team that's battling for the playoffs."

Van Scoyoc, 23, an 11th-round Draft selection in 2018 out of Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will take his mid 90s fastball and above-average curve to High-A Spokane.

The Rockies will also be calling up switch-hitting first baseman and outfielder Michael Toglia in a continued effort to turn to younger players.

But to move ahead from a game that finished in a swift 2 hours, 53 minutes thanks to the pitch timer, some attention must be given to the pages of the record book scribbled in Angels red.

To that end:

Anderson was dependable for five starts after being claimed from the Rays in early May. But he coughed up nine runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings on Saturday, after yielding 10 runs and 12 hits across 7 1/3 innings in his previous two starts.

“I watched some of the video on the iPad after I came out of the game and looked at the pitches, where they were,” Anderson said. “The pitch-calling was right, just the execution wasn’t good.

“You’ve got to move past it. I’ve played this game long enough to know that you have really good times, really bad times. That’s the hard part. After a win last night [on Elias Díaz’s eighth-inning grand slam], you want to carry the momentum into today and get the guys off on the right foot. I just wasn’t able to do it.”

"His style of pitching, there’s got to be balls at the knees, there’s got to balls at the top of the zone and he’s got to move the ball in and out," said Black of Anderson. "There were too many balls in the middle.”

Another example of the often-painful development of rookie right-hander starter types, Noah Davis went three innings and gave up nine runs, including David Fletcher’s three-run shot, though Karl Kauffmann escaped the final three with one run on three hits.

Said Black on Davis, who was sent down earlier in the week but recalled when lefty Brent Suter went to the injured list with a right oblique strain: “Noah looked a little uncomfortable, like he was sped up a little bit. He was variable, as well, with his pitch selection and where the ball ended up.”

There wasn't much offense to speak of for the Rockies on the night, though rookie Brenton Doyle, who entered on a 7-for-34 (.206) skid, homered to lead off the eighth and help Colorado avoid a rare shutout in its home ballpark, something that has only happened 45 times in 2,246 games at Coors Field.

In a quiet Rockies clubhouse postgame, Doyle offered the same perspective as his manager.

“We get to possibly win a series tomorrow,” said Doyle, who has six homers on the season. “A series win is always good for the books -- and a good way to flush tonight.”