Errors at the lake led to the Rockies' defeat on a dreary Monday at Wrigley Field.
Left fielder Nolan Jones made two crucial errors during one at-bat in the sixth inning, allowing three Cubs runs. This was enough for Chicago to win 5-0, given the cold, rainy weather and strong wind from Lake Michigan.
The Rockies only got three hits and now have a 1-4 record for the season. They have been outscored 37-14 so far. On the other hand, the Cubs won their first home game and now have a 2-2 record.
Jones, who dropped a routine flyball in Colorado's 5-1 loss at Arizona last Sunday, was once again in the spotlight for the wrong reasons on Monday. Hits were hard to come by initially, but the Cubs scored two singles against starter Dakota Hudson in the sixth. With one out, Christopher Morel hit a single to the left, and Jones, who was rushing in, let the ball slip under his glove and roll to the wall. Jones' poor throw back into the infield after the first error allowed all three baserunners to score.
Chicago added two more runs in the seventh, courtesy of reliever Peter Lambert, when Cody Bellinger hit a two-run single to the right. Lambert conceded five hits in two innings.
Shota Imanaga of Japan, making his MLB debut, dominated the Rockies for six innings, striking out nine, not walking anyone, and giving up only two hits. The Rockies managed to hit the left-hander well a few times, but with the wind blowing in, hard-hit balls turned into easy outs, like Charlie Blackmon’s drive to deep center field in the third inning.
The Rockies didn't get their first hit until Blackmon hit a single to left field with two outs in the sixth. Brendan Rodgers followed with another single, but Imanaga struck out Jones to end the mini-rally.
Hudson, making his Rockies debut, pitched a solid 5 1/3 innings, giving up three hits and no earned runs. He induced seven groundball outs, struck out two, and walked two.
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, left, gets caught between third and home and is tagged out by Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-1, 38.57 ERA) at Cubs RHP Javier Assad (5-3, 3.05 in 2023)
5:40 p.m. (MDT) Tuesday, Wrigley Field
Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
TV: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Radio: Freeland is hoping to rebound from the worst start of his career. Making his third opening-day start, the left-hander allowed a career-high 10 runs on 10 hits in just 2 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. It was an unexpected meltdown because Freeland had an excellent spring training, going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in five Cactus League starts. Freeland said one of the keys in the future is better command of his changeup. The lefty is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in five career, regular-season starts against Chicago. Freeland has one regular season start at Wrigley, on April 30, 2018, when he allowed three earned runs through seven innings.
Assad is set to have his fourth career appearance (third start) against Colorado. He has a record of 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA when facing the Rockies. He has played against the Rockies twice at Wrigley Field, including on Sept. 23 of last season when he pitched four innings without allowing any runs and got the win. Chicago has been using Assad as both a part-time starter and long reliever, and now he's in the rotation due to injuries.
Pitching probables
Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (0-1, 9.00 in 2024) at Cubs TBA, 5:40 p.m.
- Wednesday: Errors at the lake led to the Rockies' downfall on a dreary Monday afternoon at Wrigley Field.
- Thursday: Off day
