A sellout crowd of 48,366 showed up at chilly, windy Coors Field on Friday afternoon to watch the Rockies’ 2026 home opener.
The fans were rewarded with bad baseball from the home team. And they let the Rockies know about it with a cascade of boos in the first inning when the Phillies scored seven runs off new starter Michael Lorenzen.
The final damage: Philadelphia 10, Colorado 1, making it the most lopsided home-opening loss in franchise history. Also, the seven runs Colorado allowed in the first inning were the most in a home opener in club history.
Lorenzen’s damage: nine runs allowed on 12 hits (including two homers) in just three innings. The hits and runs allowed were both career highs.
“My fastball command was off, but they also hit some groundballs that found some holes, But I’ve just got to be better early on,” said Lorenezen, who allowed seven of the first eight Phillies hitters to reach base, including a 454-foot, three-run homer by Brandon Marsh.
Pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning during the Rockies’ season home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, April 3, 2026, at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
Manager Warren Schaeffer shrugged off Lorenzen’s tough day.
“Just not a lot of feel for his pitches today, plain and simple,” he said. “He got behind in counts, and then his fastball command wasn’t there. He had a walk to (Kyle) Schwarber and then a walk to (Bryce) Harper, both on heaters. He threw a 0-2 mistake to Marsh on the homer. It just wasn’t his day. He’ll be better next time.”
Meanwhile, Phillies right-hander Aaron Nolan confounded the Rockies for 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and striking out nine. Philadelphia beat Colorado for the eighth consecutive time, Philly’s longest winning streak against the Rockies.
Coming off an excruciating 119-loss season, the Rockies cleaned house in the front office and promised a new, exciting era of baseball. Before the game, Schaeffer said, “We all appreciate the fans and our goal is to make them happier.”
But on Friday, the ’26 Rockies looked a lot like the ’25 Rockies. They struck out 15 times and were limited to five hits. Their 15 Ks came on the heels of their 17-strikeout game on Wednesday afternoon in Toronto. That’s concerning, for sure, considering that Colorado’s 1,531 strikeouts last season were the most in the National League and the third-most in franchise history.
One of the Rockies’ major goals during the offseason and spring training was to cut down on strikeouts and their chase rate.
“I’m not concerned about it, we’re just seven games into the season,” said All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, who went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. “So I wouldn’t say concerned, but it’s definitely something we are still working on. You are not going to see results this early in the season, but we are making a conscious effort to change things.”
Goodman also tipped his cap to Nola.
“He kind of switched up,” Goodman said. “Normally, in the past, in the videos I have seen, he likes to work up. But today he worked down in the zone, and it seemed to make his curveball play well.”
Catcher Hunter Goodman (15) of the Colorado Rockies reacts to being struck out by pitcher Tim Mayza (37) of the Philadelphia Phillies during the bottom of the eighth of the Rockies’ season home opener on Friday, April 3, 2026, at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)
The Rockies, who have opened the season 2-5, have scored three or fewer runs in six of their seven games.
Colorado’s saving grace on Friday was the relief work of reliever Valente Bellozo, who pitched six innings, allowing one run on one hit (a 460-foot homer to Schwarber in the sixth), while striking out seven. Bellozo was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday.
“It’s beyond words how important Bellozo was for us,” Schaeffer said. “He saved our bullpen today, in a big, big way. He attacked the strike zone and was efficient, no fear. Bellozo was, for sure, the hero of the game for us.”
Pitching probables
Saturday: Phillies LHP Jesus Luzardo (0-1, 9.00 ERA at Rockies TBD, 6:10 p.m.
Sunday: Phillies RHP Taijuan Walker (0-1, 11.57) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (0-0, 1.93 ERA), 1:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
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