Ryan Feltner is a tease.
Just when you think the Rockies’ talented right-hander is going to solidify his place as the anchor of the rotation, there’s a glitch.
Case in point: Colorado’s 9-3 loss to the Cubs on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field, which prevented the Rockies from completing a three-game sweep. The Rockies, however, have won three of their last four series.
Feltner set the Cubs down in order in the first three innings. At that point, he had retired 22 consecutive batters, dating back to his last start vs. Milwaukee. But Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the fourth with a single, Michael Bush added a one-out single, and Feltner walked Ian Happ to load the bases.
Then came Feltner’s big mistake — a hanging 1-0 slider to Seiya Suzuki, who rocketed a 400-foot grand slam into a mass of Cubs fans in the left-field bleachers.
“I was just struggling with feel on the ball,” said Feltner, who pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on four hits and three walks. His ERA rose from 4.22 to 5.20.
Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) celebrates after hitting a grand slam during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 11, 2026, in Denver. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
Manager Warren Schaeffer said that Feltner’s command “escaped him” in the fourth inning, but added that “sometimes the balls tend to get a little slick sometimes here at altitude.”
“But that’s not an excuse,” Schaeffer added.
Entering Thursday, Feltner had made two quality starts in a row after coming off a five-week stint on the disabled list with inflammation of the ulnar nerve in his right elbow. But he wasn’t sharp on Thursday, and his frustration showed on the mound.
“I pride myself on trying to keep the team in the game, regardless of what’s going on with me,” Feltner said. “I wouldn’t say my frustration got in the way of execution. It was more of a frustration after the fact.”
Even though he set down the first nine Chicago hitters he faced, Feltner said he never had great command.
“I didn’t have any of my pitches today,” he said. “The first three innings, I felt OK … my stuff was serviceable. But I was falling behind in counts. I also felt like I was getting lucky because I was falling behind and that all showed up in the fourth.”
A glance at the game’s linescore would suggest a closer game. The Rockies outhit the Cubs, 12-10, and both teams hit three home runs. The difference was Suzuki’s grand slam, and Alex Bregman’s two-run blast off Blas Castano in the seventh.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Cole Carrigg (16) drives the ball out of the park for a home run as the Colorado Rockies take on the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on June 11, 2026, in Denver. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
All of Colorado’s homers were solo shots: two by catcher Brett Sullivan (the first multi-homer day of his career), and a 418-foot homer to right by rookie center fielder Cole Carrigg in the fourth off of Chicago starter Edward Cabrera. It was Carrigg’s first big-league homer, and it came in his third big-league game.
“I got down 0-2 early and chased a couple of pitches … but had a couple of good takes after that, and he hung a 3-2 slider and I put a good swing on that,” said Carrigg, who joined outfielder Brad Hawpe (2004) as the only two Rockies to have a triple and home run through their first three career games.
Colorado had a prime opportunity to get back into the game in the sixth inning. Trailing 6-2 at the time, the Rockies loaded the bases with one out but failed to score. Kyle Karros flew out to shallow right field, and the Cubs right-hander struck out Ezequiel Tovar on an 0-2 breaking ball.
Tovar, who fanned three times Thursday, is hitting .211 with a .591 OPS. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting .147. Tovar’s struggles with breaking balls down and away continue to be a problem.
“I think that’s always been kind of his deal because that’s a tough pitch for him to hit,” Schaeffer said. “But he’s been working non-stop on that. But you have seen him hit some homers on hanging breaking balls. But listen, a slider down and away is a tough pitch for anybody to hit. It’s part of his development.”
Pitching probables
Friday: Rockies TBA at A’s LHP Gage Jump (2-1, 2.45 ERA), 8:05 p.m.
Saturday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 7.81) at A’s LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.68), 8:05 p.m.
Sunday: Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (6-4, 4.08) at A’s RHP J.T. Ginn (4-3, 3.15), 1:05 p.m.
TV: Rockies TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
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