SAN FRANCISCO — Slow starters all season, the Rockies got out of the gate fast on Saturday afternoon at sun-splashed Oracle Park.

First inning: bang, solo home run by catcher Hunter Goodman, his 31st of the season. Second inning: bang, leadoff homer by Brenton Doyle, his 15th. The Rockies led 2-0 against Giants right-hander Justin Verlander.

But, as usual, the Rockies found a way to lose, or couldn’t figure out how to win. Take your pick.

The Giants had only four hits, but it was enough to win, 4-3, and send the Rockies to their 118th loss of the season. The Rockies are limping toward Sunday’s finish line with losses in 11 of their last 13 games with a 4-20 record in September.

“I’ve said it over and over again this season, but we have to complete baseball games every single (day), from start to finish,” said veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, who pitched six solid innings but suffered his 17th loss. “We have to play as crisp as possible and do the little things, pay attention to details. When you are paying attention to those little things, they add up and take care of the big things.”

The Rockies, per usual, rallied late. Jordan Beck led off the ninth with a home run off reliever Ryan Walker, cutting the lead to 4-3. Doyle followed with a double, and Kyle Karros drew a walk. Warming Bernable struck out for the second out of the inning, but right-handed reliever Spencer Bivens plunked Ryan Ritter, loading the bases.

In the penultimate game of their painful season, the Rockies were on the cusp of one of their most satisfying wins. But Ezequiel Tovar’s foul ball down the third base line was caught against the netting by Matt Chapman.

It was a bitter end to a well-played game.

“You want ‘Tovie’ up there, and then you want ‘Goody’ coming up, absolutely,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. ” ‘Tovie’ is a cornerstone of what we do, moving forward, and he could have very easily put one in the gap right there; that’s what we all thought.”

Toss out the second inning, and Freeland’s final start of the season was exceptional.

The lefty issued a leadoff walk to Chapman, which is always an ill-advised way to start an inning. When Wilmer Flores sliced a single to right field, Freeland was asking for trouble. He got it when Casey Schmitt mashed a 1-0 fastball over the center-field wall for a three-run homer and a 3-2 lead.

“There was just one mistake that was supposed to be a fastball down and away, and it came back over the middle and he put a really good swing on it,” Freeland said. “It makes it easier on them when it’s center-cut like that, but really, just one mistake on the day.”

Over six innings, Freeland allowed three runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He finished his season with a 5-16 record and a 4.98 ERA over 31 starts. His 17 losses are the most by a Colorado pitcher since Darryl Kyle had 17 in 1998.

“Kyle was up and down (this season), I think he would tell you that,” Schaeffer said. “He (provided) solid leadership. He posted up when other guys would not have posted up. Overall, he shows that he’s our front-line guy the majority of the year, and he posts up for us.”

An RBI double by Rafael Devers off Rockies closer Victor Vodnik in the eighth inning turned out to be the game-winner. Doyle dove for the ball in center field but came up empty and Andrew Knizner easily scored from first.

“I’m going to roll the dice and try to make that out,” Doyle said. “That’s just the way I play center field.”

Schaeffer was also on board with Doyle’s aggressive charge on the baseball.

“I think he’s going to make every play he attempts to get,” Schaeffer said. “And the wind was a factor out there today, big-time. From my vantage point, it looked like it was blowing away from him, but you always trust him to go after the ball. You can’t put the reins on him.”

Sunday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP McCade Brown (0-4, 7.54 ERA) at Giants RHP Logan Webb (14-11), 3.30)

1:05 p.m. Sunday, T-Mobile Park

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Trending: The Rockies’ starting pitching trio of German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and lefty Kyle Freeland is the first trio in team history to lose at least 15 decisions in the same season. It marks just the fifth time it’s happened to a National League team in the Divisional Era (since 1969). Colorado starters have posted a 6.66 ERA, the highest ERA by a starting staff in franchise history. The previous high was a 6.19 ERA by the 1999 club. Overall, Colorado has allowed 1,017 runs, the 11th team in the modern era to allow at least 1,010 runs and the first since the 1999 Rockies allowed 1,028 runs.

— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.

Originally Published: September 27, 2025 at 4:43 PM MDT