Eli Whitney | April 22, 2026

Tuesday night at Coors Field was the kind of game that leaves you staring at the box score looking for answers that aren’t there. Two pitchers – one on each side – were exceptional. The offenses were largely invisible. And in the end, a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning was all it took. San Diego beat Colorado 1-0 in the series opener, handing the Rockies their first shutout of the season and dropping them to 9-15.

​Chase Dollander was not the reason Colorado lost this game. He was, in fact, the best version of himself that this ballpark has seen. The 24-year-old right-hander came out of the bullpen after Jimmy Herget’s opening inning and proceeded to strike out nine batters across six innings – the second straight relief appearance in which he’s fanned nine, making him just the second pitcher in the Modern Era to accomplish that feat, joining Boston’s Dick Radatz in 1963. He threw a career-high 102 pitches. He stranded a bases-loaded jam in the sixth after the lone run had already scored. He did it without feeling his best. “I came out honestly not feeling that great,” Dollander said afterward. “But we made it work.” When asked about what it said about him as a pitcher to be able to utilize multiple pitches to find success, he didn’t hesitate. “It says I’m not a two-pitch pitcher,” he said. “I can throw six different pitches and have them all be strikes. You’re going to have to respect that.”

​Schaeffer was effusive. “What a well-pitched game,” he said. “His attack angle with the fastball, his slider – just an incredible performance. He looks like a completely different guy this year.” When asked about how meaningful it was to see Dollander perform like this at Coors Field after a difficult 2025 at home, the manager cut to the point. “It says a lot about him that he’s not even thinking about that. He’s just attacking with all he has.” Dollander said in spring that Rockies fans would see a different version of him this year. When asked about it postgame, he kept it simple. “I kept my word,” he said with a smile.

​The one run that beat him was precisely the kind that stings the most. Jake Cronenworth legged out a double to open the sixth. Fernando Tatis Jr. had an infield single. Jackson Merrill was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dollander then walked Manny Machado on a full count to force in the only run of the game. He struck out Xander Bogaerts to end the inning and returned for the seventh, and pitched another clean frame. It was not enough.

​On the other side stood Randy Vasquez, who was every bit as good. The San Diego right-hander worked seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out five. His cutter was the story – jamming left-handers, running away from barrels against righties, generating soft contact all night. “We didn’t really have an answer for it,” Schaeffer said plainly. The Rockies finished with three hits, no extra-base hits, and went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. Their only baserunner of consequence was Ezequiel Tovar, who was hit by a pitch in the second and stole second before being stranded.

​Jimmy Herget opened the game by striking out the side on 14 pitches. It was a clean, efficient start to the evening that Dollander then built upon through six more innings. The Colorado pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts – a season high and most at Coors Field since October 2023. On a night when the offense couldn’t produce, that was almost enough.

​Almost. The Rockies are 3-6 in one-run games and have now dropped their first game of this series against a San Diego team that has won 14 of its last 16. On a night when Dollander was as good as he’s been all season, the only thing missing was a run. In this ballpark, against this pitching staff, that turned out to be everything.