NEW YORK -- It appeared that something was clicking on the mound with left-hander Carson Palmquist, the Rockies’ No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He was dominating the Mets for three innings on Sunday afternoon, eventually striking out a career-high eight, but the gopher ball proved costly in a 5-3 loss at Citi Field.
The Rockies were swept in the three-game series and became the first team in the Major Leagues to 50 losses in 2025. It’s the quickest to 50 losses since the 1884 Kansas City Cowboys, who lost 50 of their first 57 decisions.
"You can either fight or not fight. I don’t think not fighting is going to work,” Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings said. “We have a really good group of guys in this locker room. We have been playing a lot better baseball. We just haven’t been able to get over that hump. A lot of close games this week that didn’t go our way. … We just have to keep plugging. Hopefully, we can break through here.”
At first, Palmquist was dealing. Of the 10 hitters he faced in the first three innings, six went down on strikes. Suddenly, one could understand why Palmquist is often compared to Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Palmquist has that sweet sidearm delivery that befuddles opposing hitters.
Because of what he did in the early going, Palmquist thought he was going to have a great day.
"His fastball was coming out a little hotter today,” Stallings said. “It’s a deceptive fastball to begin with. I thought he had a tick or two more on it, especially early on. He did a great job during the first time through the lineup.”
After three innings, Palmquist was staked to a 1-0 lead thanks to Orlando Arcia's first homer with the Rockies, but Palmquist lost the lead by the fourth. After walking Starling Marte and hitting Juan Soto with a pitch to start the frame, Pete Alonso followed and homered over the right-field wall and gave New York the two-run lead.
Palmquist needed 34 pitches to get through the inning.
After Tyler Freeman tied the score at 3-3 with a two-run homer, Palmquist went back out in the fifth and allowed the go-ahead homer to Francisco Lindor before leaving the game with two outs.
"The second and third time through, I tried to be too fine with it. I fell into bad counts, having to work my way out of it,” Palmquist said.
Because of what he did in the early going, Palmquist has a lot of confidence that his stuff can play in the big leagues.
"I have to keep building and throw it in the strike zone. The stuff plays when I’m ahead in the count. Just throw right at guys and attack them,” he said.
A special day for Dad
For center fielder Sam Hilliard, the loss took a backseat to his father Jim, who passed away from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis [ALS] in 2022. Sunday was Lou Gehrig Day at Citi Field, and the Rockies and Mets honored those who have battled ALS like Gehrig.
Hilliard started the game, wore purple cleats as a tribute to his father and the countless others who fought the disease, and went 2-for-4. Through @TeamHilliardALS, Sam continues his father’s legacy and the fight to strike out ALS.
"It’s for him and it’s for everyone who is dealing with ALS or has lost a loved one to ALS. It’s one of those things you don’t understand until it happens to you -- what those people go through, what the family members go through,” Hilliard said.
"It’s an incurable disease. We are trying to bring hope to people. We are not the type of family that wants to be in the spotlight, but … we wanted to help any way we could.”
Despite his battle with ALS, Jim Hilliard always maintained a positive attitude. Sam takes that attitude onto the field. That means working and playing hard.
"He was such an inspiration,” Sam said about his father. “Anytime I think something bad is happening to me, I just think about him and how gracefully he handled it. He was always a witty, funny guy, but whenever he was in his wheelchair, it was like he was funny all of a sudden and more lighthearted. He was always a very serious, hard-working man. He kind of lightened up. We had more funny conversations than we ever did. It was in the face of something so dark, it was a source of light to our family.”
Bill Ladson has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2002. He covered the Nationals/Expos from 2002-2016.