Rockies waste scoring chances, lose to Reds in series finale but finish road trip 4-2

Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post on Apr 30, 2026

Published in Baseball

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The Rockies whiffed on their chance to turn a good road trip into a great road trip.

They lost, 6-4, to the Reds on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park, failing to cash in on potential payoff innings. Plus, the Rockies’ pitching, excellent for most of the trip, was only so-so.

Cincinnati tagged starter Michael Lorenzen for four runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Though he struck out five, he walked three, and a leadoff walk to Spencer Steer in the fifth was costly because TJ Friedl followed with a two-run homer. Nathaniel Lowe led off the second with a solo homer off Lorenzen.

Cincy buffered its lead with a two-run eighth off Victor Vodnik, the key hits a double by Tyler Stephenson and an RBI double by Steer. The inning proved costly for Colorado because it rallied with two runs in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough. Vodnik’s ERA now sits at 7.82.

The Rockies (14-18) finished their six-game journey east with a 4-2 record, sweeping the Mets in New York but losing two of three in Cincinnati (20-11).

The Rockies’ would’ve, could’ve, should’ve inning was the fifth. They packed the bases, but Brenton Doyle grounded into a forceout at home and Hunter Goodman struck out on a 1-2 fastball by Andrew Abbott. In the seventh, Colorado had two on with two out, but reliever Connor Phillips whiffed Goodman on an 0-2 sweeper.

Goodman leads the team with nine home runs, but he also has a 38% strikeout rate.

Tyler Freeman hit a two-run homer off Abbot in the first inning, but the Reds’ excellent pitching staff silenced the Rockies for the next seven innings.