Chase Dollander returned from Triple-A Albuquerque to face the St. Louis Cardinals, delivering five innings of one-run ball with a four-pitch mix and sharp fastball command. He exited with Colorado trailing 1-0, but the Rockies finally tied it in the seventh, only to watch Miles Mikolas silences them for five frames before the bullpen implodes in a 3-2 defeat. Brendan Donovan delivered the pivotal eighth-inning two-run double for St. Louis, followed by Brenton Doyle’s two-out RBI single to push the lead. Colorado’s offense went quiet with runners in scoring position all night, extending what could become a historically painful stretch for the season.

The Rockies entered a brutal stretch, sitting at 30-88 and threatening the modern-era mark for losses. Dollander demonstrated enough command to warrant continued spot starts, but Mikolas, Donovan, and the late-game bullpen performance underscored the Cardinals’ ability to seize a game even when heavy traffic is limited. Colorado will attempt to rebound in Game 2 as the Cardinals look to capitalize on the momentum from a hard-fought series opener.