Colorado Rockies set franchise record with 23 runs against Athletics on Sunday. Now, the question is can the ballclub carry that type of offense forward this season?
When Colorado Rockies players woke up on Sunday morning in the Las Vegas area, they probably didn't know that their offense was going to click.
It not only clicked, but it went hog-wild against the Athletics at Las Vegas Ballpark on a hot, sunny Sunday. The Rockies were hitting on all cylinders, and then some. When a team puts up 23 runs on the board, a lot of things have to be working well.
Willi Castro hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as he provided the Rockies with a big boost at the plate. The Athletics, though, didn't do themselves any favors with some rough defensive play at times.
Still, the Rockies got out of town with a 23-9 shellacking of the Athletics, who will be moving into their new stadium along the Las Vegas Strip for the 2028 MLB season.
Can Rockies Stay Hot at Plate?
Rockies fans probably had to look twice and see how the entire lineup contributed to the big-time victory. Those fans who didn't see the game are asking themselves, "Where has this offense been all season long?"
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer probably had a big smile on his face watching his players turn Sunday's game into their own version of "Baseball Bugs." That's a Looney Tunes cartoon where Bugs Bunny's team had players moving up one base at a time in, like, 25 or 26 times.
The Athletics must have felt like they were Bugs Bunny's opposing team, watching Rockies players cross home plate over and over again.
Colorado boarded a plane after the game and headed to Chicago, where the Rockies open up a three-game series on Monday night against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. MDT.
Michael Lorenzen gets the start for Schaeffer's squad. He's 2-8 on the season with a hefty 7.54 ERA. The Cubs will counter with Shota Imanaga, who's 4-6 this season with a a 4.44 ERA.
Lorenzen has a 2-to-1 ratio when it comes to strikeouts against walks. This season, he has struck out 55 batters while walking 24 of them. Lorenzen also will carry a 1.90 WHIP into the Monday night matchup.
Lorenzen Needs to Keep Cubs Guessing
It should be pretty clear for Rockies fans who follow baseball closely that Wrigley Field, especially if the wind is blowing out, is a hitter's park. Lorenzen will have to keep the Cubs' hitters off-stride on Monday night.
Colorado has a chance to put up another big offensive output. Will they reach a franchise-record 23 runs again? Maybe not, but their lineup definitely showed marked improvement on Sunday.
That's got to be a huge confidence boost for the Rockies. Scoring 23 runs against an Athletics team with Shea Langeliers and, of course, Nick Kurtz in its lineup was an incredible feat.
Let's see what happens on Monday night in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.
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