Rockies Rout Cubs Behind Goodman, Tovar Power at Coors

The Colorado Rockies didn’t need much more than an inning to break this game wide open on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Coors Field. They scored five runs in the first two innings and never looked back, dismantling the Chicago Cubs 7-3 in a performance that exposed everything wrong with the Cubs’ pitching staff this season. Colin Rea lasted just 4.2 innings, surrendering nine hits and seven earned runs, which should concern anyone in the Chicago front office paying attention.

Hunter Goodman set the tone immediately, launching a two-run blast in the bottom of the first that scored TJ Rumfield and put Colorado up 2-0 before most fans had settled into their seats. This is what Goodman has become for the Rockies this season, a legitimate run producer who can change games with one swing. His 18th home run of the year was struck with authority and purpose, signaling that Tuesday would belong to Colorado’s bats.

Rea Crumbles as Rockies Keep Piling On

Ezequiel Tovar then added insult to injury with his own solo shot in the second inning, and suddenly Rea was in full retreat mode. Edouard Julien, who emerged as the evening’s most productive offensive weapon, drove in another run with a sharp double, then scored on Jake McCarthy’s single. By the time the Cubs could scratch out a run on Alex Bregman’s sacrifice fly in the third inning, they were already playing from an impossible deficit. Rea’s inability to locate his fastball or keep hitters off-balance was inexcusable. The Cubs invested in him for precisely these moments, and he delivered a clunker when it mattered most.

Julien finished with two crucial hits and three RBIs, proving once again that Colorado’s middle order can carry the load when given decent starting pitching. McCarthy contributed a hit, and while the Cubs got a solo homer from Michael Busch in the sixth inning, punctuated by a Seiya Suzuki groundout that plated Alex Bregman, it was precisely the kind of late rally that tells you everything: too little, way too late.

Sugano Efficient Despite Rocky Start

Tomoyuki Sugano walked away with the win, pitching five innings and allowing six hits and three runs while striking out three. He wasn’t dominant, but he was efficient, and more importantly, he gave Colorado’s bullpen multiple innings of rest. That’s all you need when your offense spots you a seven-run lead by the third inning. Jaden Hill closed things out cleanly, and the Rockies cruised home.

The Cubs had their chances to make this competitive, but Crow-Armstrong couldn’t impact the game, and the supporting cast around Bregman and Suzuki simply couldn’t manufacture enough offense. Craig Counsell will rightfully demand better from his pitching staff, but the reality is grimmer than that. When you’re getting outscored in your division, you’re not competing for anything that matters. Tuesday was another uncomfortable reminder of just how far Chicago still has to climb to catch the Rockies in the National League West.