The Rockies’ Fourth of July was a Yankee Doodle dud.
White Sox right-hander Adrian Houser made sure of that, pitching eight strong innings in the Sox’s 3-2 victory Friday night at Coors Field.
“We give him lots of credit; he did a great job pounding the strike zone,” said Rockies right-fielder Tyler Freeman, who hit an RBI double in the fifth inning to extend his on-base streak to 19 games. “That’s what he does. He throws that sinker and misses barrels. We couldn’t find a way to get to him.”
The White Sox, who lost a modern-era record 121 games last season, entered the night with a 9-35 road record, worst in the majors. But they bested a Rockies team that now owns a 9-35 home record, also worst in the majors.
The Rockies (20-68), on pace to lose 125 games, are threatening to supplant the White Sox for the most losses in modern baseball history.
Houser (4-2, 1.60 ERA) gave up two unearned runs on four hits. He walked two, struck out six and recorded 10 outs via groundballs.
“Houser pitched exceptionally tonight,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “His sinker kept us on the ground and he got a lot of soft contact.”
Closer Grant Taylor finished the game off in the ninth as the White Sox broke a 17-game losing streak in one-run games. He gave up a two-out single to Mickey Moniak before striking out Ryan McMahon to end the game. McMahon was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
The only in-game fireworks were provided by Chicago catcher Edgar Quero, who lofted a one-out solo homer to right off of Antonio Senzatela in the sixth for what turned out to be the game-winning run. It was Quero’s first homer of the season.
For the record, the postgame fireworks brought a sellout crowd of 48,064 to Coors, and plenty of attempts at The Wave.
Chicago White Sox shortstop Colton Montgomery holds up the ball after fielding a short fly ball off the bat of Colorado Rockies’ Ryan Ritter to end the second inning of a baseball game Friday, July 4, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The White Sox, for the most part, played exceptional defense Friday night. The play of the night — Schaeffer called it one of the best plays he’s seen all season — came in Colorado’s second-inning at-bat. With two on and two outs, Ryan Ritter looped a ball into shallow left field, only to see Chicago shortstop Colson Montgomery make an over-the-head, back-to-the-infield, diving catch. It will be a keepsake play for Montgomery, who made his major league debut.
Colorado finally broke through against Houser in the fifth, with the help of the setting sun. First baseman Michael Toglia hit a one-out double, and Ritter followed with a routine grounder to third baseman Josh Rojas. Except that Rojas’ throw to first baseman Miguel Vargas got lost in the run, and Rojas was charged with a throwing error. Toglia scored and Ritter advanced to second. Freeman’s double to left scored Ritter, tying the game, 2-2.
Senzatela gave the Rockies a serviceable start: three runs allowed on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked just one and struck out four. His big mistake was the 1-1 curveball he hung for Quero’s go-ahead homer in the sixth.
Chicago loaded the bases in the fourth, but Senzatela nearly escaped unscathed when Colson Montgomery lined out to Toglia for the second out. But Michael A. Taylor, the No. 8 hitter, delivered a two-run single to right, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead.
Senzatela, 3-12 with a 6.57 ERA, needed 95 pitches to get through his start.
Saturday’s pitching matchup
White Sox RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-7, 4.59 ERA) at Rockies RHP German Marquez (3-9, 5.62)
7:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM
Trending: The White Sox entered Friday night’s game at Coors Field with a 9-35 record on the road, the worst road record in the majors and the worst start in franchise history. The Sox were averaging 2.9 runs per game on the road vs. 3.9 at home. The Rockies’ road record is 11-33. However, their home record was 9-34 going into Friday night, the worst in the majors.
Pitching probables
Sunday: White Sox RHP Shane Smith (3-6, 3.86) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-9, 6.65), 1:10 p.m.
Monday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-1, 5.49) at Red Sox RHP Richard Fitts (0-3, 4.50), 5:10 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
Originally Published: July 4, 2025 at 8:56 PM MDT