When Rockies manager Bud Black said Monday afternoon that he was as content as he’d been all season with his pitching rotation, he was referring in large part to Austin Gomber.
“Since the All-Star break, been pretty consistent,” Black said of his starters. “With the exception of a game or two here and there, all the games have been close. … That’s a reflection of our starting pitching, and maybe a little bit of our lack of run production.”
Consistency collided with bad luck hours later at Coors Field.
Gomber exited in the third inning of his start with an apparent injury, and the Rockies lost 14-4 in the series opener to the MLB-best Atlanta Braves, officially securing a losing season.