SEATTLE — A team in transition is expected to have frustrating moments.

For the Rockies, that time came just 15 games into the season.

The Rockies, a squad made up of aging veterans and still unproven prospects, unraveled on Saturday night. A once-promising start from Ryan Feltner got out of control, assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere was tossed from the dugout and relievers allowed four unearned runs in one inning as Seattle took advantage of all of Colorado’s missteps, defeating them 9-2.

The Rockies fall to 5-10 on the season, the second worst record in the National League behind only the Nationals. Colorado has won only two of their last eight games.

For Feltner, this has been the tale of every start this season. The first time through the batting order he’s efficient, flashing all the assets that make the Rockies’ believe that he can succeed at the major league level. The second time around, though, he’s been costly, unable to stop things from getting out of control.

“You just have to keep on him, keep coaching him,” manager Bud Black said from his office at T-Mobile Park. “He’ll get there … sometimes it takes a little bit longer. He has a major league arm, he has good stuff but he has to get through this.”

On Saturday night, Feltner allowed one hit and one walk the first time he faced each batter, making it through without giving up a run.

But then came the fourth inning, which has been his Achilles heel.

Eugenio Suárez homered to start the inning to tie the game at 1, not great for Feltner, but not the end of the world either. A quality pitcher can regroup and get back to work, but Feltner has been unable to do that.

Cal Raleigh followed with a single, but Feltner was able to strike out Teoscar Hernández and Jarred Kelenic. All Feltner needed to do was get one more out to end the inning. Instead, he walked Tommy La Stella and Kolten Wong back-to-back, then allowed a single from J.P. Crawford and a triple from Julie Rodríguez to clear the bases. Just like that the Mariners had a 5-1 lead and Feltner’s night was done.

Feltner doesn’t know why his fortune changes the later he gets in a game. It’s not mental, he said, and he believes something might be going on below the surface. 

“It is frustrating because there’s flashes of what I can be,” he said. “It’s just about being that now.”

Things didn’t get any better for the Rockies after Feltner was removed. Brent Suter got them out of the fourth and faced the minimum in the fifth, but things got out of hand again in the sixth for the team. Between Suter and Connor Seabold, who came on to relieve Suter, the Rockies hit two batters, walked two and had an error in the sixth as the Mariners scored four unearned runs. Seattle only needed to hit it out of the infield once to get those runs on the board. 

“The loud crowd, his fourth or fifth appearance in the big leagues. A pitch got away from him, he hit a guy in the arm,” Black said about Seabold. “He’s learning too.”

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner walks off the field after being pulled after giving up five runs in the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners in a baseball game Saturday, April 15, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Lindsey Wasson