The Rockies and Oracle Park mix like orange juice and toothpaste.

Colorado was swept by the San Francisco Giants and suffered a 4-1 loss as the clinching blow on Sunday. It continued multiple losing milestones for the Rockies along the Bay. 

The Rockies have won one series at Oracle Park since 2019 and are a combined 5-23 after Sunday’s loss. Overall, they are 14-43 against the Giants since 2021 and haven’t won a season series — other than during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign — against their division rival since 2018. It’s their worst record against an opponent since 2019.

Here’s a breakdown of the sweep that ended the Rockies’ longest win streak of the season:

The Moment

— Thairo Estrada brought Colorado back to reality after a dream stretch.

The Rockies scored four quick runs Friday and looked to be on their way to an eighth consecutive win. Estrada changed the tide.

Ryan Feltner struggled with command through parts of his start in the loss and threw a 3-1 fastball to the Giants’ second baseman with two runners on and no outs. Estrada hit it to the left-field bleachers to put the San Francisco up 5-4 en route to Friday’s streak-busting win over the visiting Rockies.

“(Ryan’s) got to locate the fastball,” manager Bud Black said. “It was sort of belt-high, sort of middle-in and Estrada is pretty good on the fastball in and hit the homer. That inning, specifically, (he was) behind in the count often. Inefficiency came back to haunt him.”

San Francisco scored five runs between the fourth and fifth innings before adding another two in each of the seventh and eighth frames. All four Rockies’ pitchers allowed earned runs, a changeup from the past week’s results.

Takeaway

— The Rockies have had multiple streaks in 2024, good and bad.

Their 31 losses this season meant franchise’s worst start in its 32-year history. Prior to the Giants series, Colorado put together a seven-game win streak that was its longest since 2019.

This is not indicative of who the team is.

Colorado boasted the major’s top pitching staff, by earned run average, and lineup, by batting average, during its seven-game streak and found a rhythm. Elehuris Montero led the way with a .368 average and Austin Gomber held opponents to an0.71 ERA atop the lock tight rotation.

It was a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy year, but the results figure to even out as 2024 goes on.

The Rockies will struggle to avoid 100 losses but likely aren’t bad enough to fall below the 1962 New York Mets’ modern-era-record 120-loss season. The best-case scenario would have them playing near-.500 baseball for the year’s second half to bring some hope for 2025.

Even that may be lofty, but not as delusional as it seemed when the club started 7-24. Don’t expect Rocktober 2.0, either.

What went right

— Colorado’s offensive production has grown and didn’t stop during the sweep.

The Rockies had 24 hits and 10 runs but fell prey to their own pitching staff that allowed even more to San Francisco. The numbers came despite their one-run, three-hit day against Jordan Hicks in Sunday’s loss.

Nolan Jones and Kris Bryant are tentatively due back on Tuesday. Colorado benefits greatly if both find a quick rhythm after slow starts. McMahon homered Sunday and has carried much of the weight. Montero went hitless in the loss but is hitting .286 over his last 10 games.

— Hunter Goodman has struggled to find playing time since being called back up but found a new avenue in the Giants series.

He started at catcher for the first time in the majors on Saturday after backup Jacob Stallings took a ball off his hand during an at-bat in Friday’s loss. Elias Díaz has also been hobbled with left-hand soreness and has sat the Rockies’ last four games.

Goodman looked comfortable — he’s made 75 minor-league appearances at catcher — and found a similar calm at the plate. He went 2-for-4 in Saturday’s loss to add his first non-home-run hits of 2024.

“He looked fine behind the plate,” Black said on Saturday. “You saw him dive for a few balls, that’s on the pitcher. He’s an aggressive swinger with the leg kick and his intent is swinging to hit — he barreled a few balls today.”

What went wrong:

— Gomber and Cal Quantrill’s efforts rubbed off on others until they went to San Francisco.

Ryan Feltner and Ty Blach each struggled mightily to allow the Giants leads on Friday and Saturday before Dakota Hudson fell apart late in Sunday’s loss. The trio allowed 14 runs (13 earned) on 19 hits across the three losses.

Their relief pitchers struggled too.

Colorado sent 10 relievers to the mound in the three-game set and they allowed earned runs in seven of the appearances. Nick Mears was dealt the biggest blow of the group when he allowed six earned runs on five hits in Saturday’s blowout loss. He threw 42 pitches to get two outs in the eighth inning before Tyler Kinley entered.

The Rockies held top-five marks in baseball for both starters and relievers ERA over the seven-game win streak. Their consistency ran out in San Francisco.

What’s up next:

— The Rockies will finish their West Coast swing in Oakland with a three-game set against the Athletics.

Oakland handed Colorado a low point in 2023. Both teams struggled throughout the season, but the Athletics took two of three in a series against the Rockies at Coors Field. They were outscored 19-10 and fell to an Athletics roster that was the worst in the majors.

The Rockies are one of the league’s three worst teams this season, and Oakland has hovered near .500 at points.

Giants 4, Rockies 1

What happened Sunday: Ryan McMahon hit the Rockies to an early lead before the offense went silent against San Francisco’s Jordan Hicks.

On the mound: Dakota Hudson allowed two hits through his first four innings before the Giants struck in the fifth. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits before exiting the game for Victor Vodnik. The starter also walked a pair and has issued multiple free passes in eight of his nine starts. Vodnik allowed a home run in his 1⅓ innings before Tyler Kinley and Jalen Beeks combined for two scoreless.

At the plate: McMahon hit an opposite-field home run for his seventh and a first-inning Rockies lead. It was the club’s only baserunner until Jake Cave’s fifth-inning double. Colorado was limited to three hits, the lineup’s fewest since a one-hit shutout against Pittsburgh on May 4. It’s the fifth time the Rockies have been held to three or fewer hits this year.

What’s next: Colorado Rockies (RHP Cal Quantrill, 3-3) at Oakland Athletics (RHP Aaron Brooks, 0-1) at 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday at the Oakland Coliseum (Rockies.TV).