DENVER | Tyler Chatwood is putting up All-Star numbers on the road. The mastery hasn’t carried over to the Colorado right-hander’s own backyard.
Chatwood continued his struggles at Coors Field, allowing seven runs in four-plus innings as the Rockies fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Tuesday night.
Rookie Trevor Story homered and Charlie Blackmon had two hits for the Rockies, who couldn’t solve Tampa Bay rookie starter Blake Snell.
The Rays had no trouble with Chatwood, though, who had his Coors Field numbers go south after another poor home start. He is 3-6 with a 6.14 ERA in Denver and 5-0 with a 1.30 ERA on the road.
“At some point, you got to make an adjustment and I didn’t make that adjustment tonight,” Chatwood said.
Tampa Bay seemed like a prime candidate to end his home misery. The Rays had lost 11 straight road games, the longest streak in the majors this season, and were 4-25 since June 15. They broke out against Chatwood after heavy rain and lightning delayed the start of the game by 2 hours, 1 minute.
Evan Longoria’s RBI single in the first got Tampa Bay on the board, and after consecutive doubles in the third, he launched a mammoth home run onto the concourse in left field that bounced out of Coors Field.
The homer, his 22nd, went an estimated 462 feet and gave the Rays a 5-0 lead. It is the longest home run by a Rays player since J.P. Arencibia’s 464-foot blast at Detroit on Sept. 7, 2015.
It ended Chatwood’s streak of 52 innings without allowing a home run.
“I left a pitch right down the middle to probably the hottest hitter in that lineup right now,” Chatwood said. “It just wasn’t a good pitch.”
The Rays tacked on another run on Kevin Kiermaier’s RBI double later in the third, and a singled and a walk to start the fourth ended Chatwood’s night.
“I threw a lot of fastballs and I didn’t miss any barrels,” Chatwood said. “I think I got to mix it up a little bit.”
Snell didn’t allow a run for the first time in his seven starts. The only hit he allowed was a leadoff single by Blackmon in the fourth, and he stranded him at third by fanning Nolan Arenado and getting Ryan Raburn to fly out.
Snell said he didn’t use his curveball much because he didn’t have a good feel for it, so he went to his slider and elevated his fastball to keep Colorado’s hitters off balance.
Only four Rockies hitters reached base against Snell. Story spoiled the bid for a shutout with his 23rd homer in the ninth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: LHP Chris Rusin (left shoulder strain) allowed one run on four hits in four innings in his second rehab start for Triple-A Albuquerque.
UP NEXT
Tampa Bay righty Chris Archer (4-13) has lost his last six decisions and is one shy of matching his career-high losing streak. Colorado left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (6-6) is 4-2 with a 2.68 in six starts since returning to the rotation on June 14.
