Rockies continue to stand tall with sweep of Mets

NEW YORK -- The Rockies continue to show signs of improvement. By beating the Mets, 3-0, in the second game of the doubleheader at Citi Field on Sunday, Colorado swept the three-game series.

It was the Rockies’ third series win against a team that had a .500 record or better last year -- the Blue Jays and Astros are the others. And don’t forget that Colorado also split a four-game series against the Dodgers last weekend.

“Every day is a challenge in the big leagues. We just try to take it one day at a time and try to attack the opponent that is in front of us any given night," Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. Respect every opponent, fear none. It doesn’t matter who you are playing. They are all good.”

In the opener of the doubleheader, left-hander Jose Quintana had his best game as a member of the Rockies, allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings as they won, 3-1.

Sunday marked the first time in Rockies history that they allowed one run in a doubleheader, a feat that happened only twice last season in MLB.

The original plan was to start an opener in Game 2 on Sunday, but the bullpen has been overworked, especially the high-leverage relievers, so the Rockies asked right-hander Chase Dollander to make his first start of the season. He obliged and was dealing, shutting down the Mets for seven innings and striking out seven batters.

The Mets didn’t have a lot of traffic on the bases during the game. When they did, Dollander was able to get out of the inning. In the fifth, Carson Benge and Ronny Mauricio started the frame with singles, but the rally ended abruptly after Tyrone Taylor lined into a double play and Bo Bichette grounded out to end the threat.

Dollander surprisingly said he “had nothing” during the first three innings, but he got angry with himself and settled down.

“Both fastballs were really working well when I commanded it,” he said. “The slider was on another level today. I just kept attacking, kept trying to get the stuff in the zone.”

Dollander was given enough run support against right-hander Kodai Senga, who lasted only 2 2/3 innings. In the second, Tyler Freeman scored the first run of the game on a single by Troy Johnston, who drove in four runs in the series. An inning later, Colorado added to the lead when Hunter Goodman hit a two-run homer.

“Senga tried to work that fastball away and use that forkball,” Goodman said. “I was looking for that heater out and over the plate and I got a good one to hit.”

During the three-game sweep against New York, the Rockies’ rotation threw 19 1/3 innings, saving the bullpen. The relievers were overworked during the 13 straight games they recently played. The bullpen will get another day off on Monday before facing the Reds starting Tuesday.

“Our bullpen has been picking us up a lot this year. They have been really good. They’ve thrown a lot of innings,” Goodman said. “Having all three starters go at least into the sixth inning and put up a good performance is awesome to watch.”

With their first sweep of the Mets since 2018 and their first road doubleheader sweep since April 2011, the Rockies now sit at 13-16. A year ago, they didn’t win their 13th game until June 12 against the Giants when they improved to 13-55.

“It feels good to win some games, coming here and sweeping a good team,” Goodman said. “You can see the improvement on the field. I think you can see the excitement this team has. It will be fun to see this team going forward and hopefully keep doing the same stuff.”

Maybe Dollander said it best: “There isn’t any quit” in the 2026 Rockies.

“This team is special. I think we have a chance to do something really special. Keep an eye out for us,” he said.