In Austin Gomber’s first outing with the Rockies earlier this season, when he gave up three runs in three innings, he said he suffered from new team jitters.

Afterwards, he confided in manager Bud Black, a former big league pitcher, and pitching coach Steve Foster. In an almost therapy-session like meeting, Gomber revealed that he put too much pressure on himself for his first start with a new team.

On Friday, as he prepared to face the Cardinals for the first time since he was traded in exchange for star third baseman Nolan Arenado, Black and Gomber had another talk.

Black said Gomber told him he knew it was going to be different, facing off against his old team on his old turf, but that he was prepared this time. His skipper threw in advice anyways, telling Gomber to be himself, and that he didn’t have anything to prove. Gomber nodded, and went about the rest of his preparation.

“This place is special to me, I made my debut on that mound,” Gomber said. “I was excited to come back”

He was calm and poised on the mound, but his night turned out to be one of two tales.

On the bright side, he threw seven strikeouts, tying his career-high. His curveball, slow yet deadly, was responsible for half of those.

But he also gave up two home runs, including a 416-foot bomb from Jack Flaherty, Gomber’s friend and the Cardinals starting pitcher. The Cardinals went on to win 5-0, as the Rockies once again couldn’t find a way to score runs on the road.  

“It was another loss” Gomber said. “That’s all it really comes down to, another loss. It doesn’t really matter how I performed if we lost again when I pitched. I’d say another average night at best.”

Josh Fuentes and the Rockies face Nolan Arenado for the first time since trade

The Rockies are now 2-12 on the road, and have been outscored 84-44 away from Coors Field.  

“They beat us,” Black said. “They beat us on the mound, they beat us on the plate.”

It was Arenado that got the Cardinals moving on Friday, hitting a double off Gomber to lead off the second inning. Harrison Bader hit a two-run home run shortly after. In the third, Flaherty hit his home run on a 3-1 count. It was the second longest by a Cardinals pitcher since 2016.

“A big strong guy can hit a homer,” Black said. 

On the offensive side, the Rockies continued their hitting troubles away from Coors Field. The Rockies started off with three hits in the first inning, from Ryan McMahon, Charlie Blackmon and Garrett Hampson. But, after Hampson’s single, Blackmon made an untypical running mistake, trying to advance to third even though McMahon had stopped there. Blackmon was called out to end the inning.

The Rockies got on base in the third inning after Flaherty walked Trevor Story, but didn’t get another hit until the ninth inning, when Raimel Tapia got a single. Flaherty pitched seven innings, walking one and striking out seven.

“We didn’t string anything together, besides that first inning there,” Hampson said. “It wasn’t our night, we didn’t really click.”

Connor Joe, who was called up Friday, got his first Major League at-bat since April 7, 2019, when he played for the Giants. He grounded out, but it was still a big moment for Joe, who spent five months receiving treatment for testicular cancer last year. He signed with the Rockies in Nov., 2020, and received the promotion after a great spring training.