The Rockies smashed their way to a 2-0 series lead.
Update:
After the game, Thomas Harding provided an update on Thairo Estrada:
The #Rockies said 2B Thairo Estrada left Tuesday’s game with what was diagnosed as a right hand contusion and is day to day. Estrada was hit by a pitch. He missed the early part of the season with a right wrist fracture after being hit with a pitch during Spring Training.
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) June 18, 2025
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Tonight, the Colorado Rockies notched their 16th win of 2025, absolutely beating the Washington Nationals, 10-6 with a flurry of home runs.
Yes, the Colorado Rockies did that on the road, and there’s video to prove it.
The Rockies offense was meh — and then it was amazing
The Rockies got off to an unpromising start, giving up an unearned run in the first due to a three-base Brenton Doyle error followed by a wild pitch that scored Luis García Jr.
Despite not allowing a hit, the Rockies were down 1-0 at the bottom of the first.
However, Thairo Estrada tied things up in the top of the second with his first homer as a Rockie (the 49th of his career).
The game was tied until Michael Toglia absolutely tattooed a homer in the top of the fourth, bringing home Brenton Doyle and giving the Rockies a 3-1 lead.
The Rockies managed to load the bases in the sixth but failed to capitalize.
After Nationals starter Michael Soroka left the game in the top of the seventh, though, the homer flood gates opened.
Mickey Moniak walked to lead off the inning followed by (another — more on that in a minute) Tyler Freeman HPB. And then Hunter Goodman, well, you know:
Ryan McMahon, not to be outdone, followed that up with another homer as well, making the score 7-1. (taco’s)
And then Toglia entered the chat for his second of the evening (and the second multi-homer game of his career), making the score 8-1.
Not to be left out, Sam Hilliard went yard following Toglia, which gave the Rockies a 9-1 lead.
(Yes, I am including all the videos because we have had so many games with few highlights. Let us revel in these.)
The hail of road homers would tie a Rockies record:
In the eighth inning, Moniak, too, went yard.
Records were set:
The Rockies seven home runs tonight are tied for their most in a single game in franchise history (3x, also: May 31, 2016 vs. Cincinnati and April 5, 1997 at Montreal).
Additionally, the 10 home runs over their last two games are their most in any two-game span on the road in…
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) June 18, 2025
And don’t overlook this one:
The Rockies are the second team in the modern era (since 1901) with 7+ home runs and 10 or fewer hits in a game (last: Angels on Aug 4, 2022 vs. Athletics).
Current Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak hit the seventh home run in both of those games. https://t.co/TelsUptMYV
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) June 18, 2025
When the game ended, every Rockie, save Ryan Ritter, had scored at least one run.
“An exceptional offensive game for us today,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I thought the game went well.”
He noted it was great to see Toglia back and have “immediate production.”
True to form, they also struck out 12 times.
Still, with this win, the Rockies record improves to 16-57, and they have a three-game winning streak.
Vintage Antonio Senzatela
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “Senzatela works out of a situation.” Here’s one example (of many):
Such was Senzatela’s game: a series of singles, walks, defensive gems, and near escapes. Check out Ryan McMahon here.
Senzatela’s evening ended with the following line: He went five innings giving up three hits and one run (unearned), three walks, and no strikeouts. He had one (you read that correctly) swing-and-miss.
Before being too critical of those walks, two of them were to James Wood, which was probably just a sensible pitching strategy.
The bullpen seals the deal — with some late inning struggles.
Jake Bird entered in the sixth, and both he and then Tyler Kinley kept the Nationals scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings.
Less effective was Anthony Molina, who pitched the final 1 2⁄3 innings, surrendering a home run to Nathaniel Lowe in the eighth, a two-run homer to Luis García Jr. in the ninth, and another run off a Brady House RBI single.
With two outs, Schaeffer turned the game over to Victor Vodnik who locked down the win.
Three HBPs?
Tonight, Tyler Freeman was twice hit by Soroka and once by reliever Cole Henry.
Three HBPs in a single game breaks the Rockies franchise record and ties the MLB record, which was set by Washington’s CJ Abram’s.
Soroka also hit Thairo Estrada on the right wrist, the same one he injured in spring training. Eventually, Estrada left the game, so this is something to watch going forward. Schaeffer was unable to provide an update after the game.
Hunter Goodman in the Home Run Derby? Let’s do this!
After Goodman smashed his 14th homer of 2025, Jason Collette posted this:
Hunter Goodman to the ASG as a player & for the HR derby or we riot.
— Jason Collette (@jasoncollette.bsky.social) 2025-06-18T00:39:00.266Z
Reader, we cannot settle for less.
Coming next
Join us tomorrow at 4:45 pm (Same Bat time, same Bat station) for Game 3.
See you then.
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