None of that mattered much once the game actually started. Cleveland answered early and never let Colorado settle in, stacking 14 hits across the lineup and burying the game with a 3-run 7th that ended any thought of a Coors comeback.
Cleveland came in scuffling for stretches — a couple of shutout losses mixed into the last 5 — but still sits over .500 in recent play, and this one looked nothing like a team fighting form. Colorado's been the opposite story all month: a 5-game home losing streak, the second-longest at Coors Field this season, and Friday did nothing to snap it.
The injury list tells you why this wasn't close. Colorado's without its rotation depth and its primary catcher in Hunter Goodman, and Kyle Freeland's day-to-day status only adds to the uncertainty up and down the staff. Cleveland's issues are lighter by comparison — Hoskins' absence stings, but Cantillo pitching like this covers a lot.
Two more games left in this series at Coors, and Colorado will need a lot more than one bounce-back start to turn the week around.