Rockies’ Ryan Feltner struck in head with line drive, admitted to hospital during loss to Phillies

Colorado Rockies teammates hovered anxiously around Ryan Feltner as he sprawled out face-down on the pitcher's mound at Coors Field.

A line drive Saturday night off the bat of Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos smacked Feltner on the top of his head. The scary, second-inning moment left him briefly immobile on the ground. Rockies athletic trainers helped Feltner to his feet and he walked mostly under his own power into the dugout. A home crowd of 34,000-plus roared in support.

Colorado fell 7-4 to Philadelphia with Feltner’s health status overshadowing the result.

T2 | PHI 4, COL 0Scary moment with starting RHP Ryan Feltner taking a comebacker off the head. Stayed on the ground for a while. Then he’s helped off the field with help from athletic trainers. pic.twitter.com/qM8CW1CXxE

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) May 14, 2023

“He's under observation at a local hospital (and is) undergoing a litany of exams and tests. We'll know more in the morning,” manager Bud Black said postgame, confirming that Feltner will remain hospitalized overnight for observation. 

Players were visibly shaken by the incident. But teammates had comfort in gaining some clarity on Feltner's status following the loss.

“It all happened pretty fast. It's never a good situation," relief pitcher Peter Lambert said. "Just in the moment, you're obviously hoping that he's all right. It's not really much you can do in that situation other than just keeping him in your thoughts. … We don't really know much. That's all there is to it."

Feltner struggled early, falling into a 4-0 hole, by giving up four walks and two hits in the first inning. He left the game with two outs in the second inning.

Frightening moment in Colorado, as Ryan Feltner gets hit with a comebacker on the mound. Feltner exited on his own power. pic.twitter.com/9VbghmNNMe

— Casey Drottar (@CDrottar19) May 14, 2023

Anderson relishes opportunity

The Rockies claimed veteran pitcher Chase Anderson off waivers (Tampa Bay) this week to bolster an injury-laden starting rotation.

Anderson, 35, has a 58-50 career record with a 4.23 ERA in 201 games (183 starts) between six different teams. He came out of the bullpen twice this season with the Rays, throwing five scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Anderson is thrilled to have the opportunity in his preferred starting role.

He expects to join Colorado’s rotation Tuesday night versus in the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field.

“This place is amazing,” Anderson told reporters Saturday in the pregame locker room. “I’m looking forward to helping this team out in any way I can.”

The next step for Anderson is getting his pitch count back up to a starter’s level. Anderson also must prove reliable enough to avoid reassignment back to the bullpen.

“A veteran pitcher who knows how to pitch. He knows his game. We’ll sort of digest some of the numbers,” manager Bud Black told MLB.com in the pregame home dugout at Coors Field. “Once he gets back pitching, it’s more about confidence and some delivery things that we’re talking about. Smoothing some things out with his mechanics. That will enable him to throw more consistent strikes.”

Phillies 7, Rockies 4

What happened: Colorado lost twice to open a three-game homestand against Philadelphia. The Rockies dug out of a four-run hole to trail, 5-4, late in the game. But Colorado failed to produce runs or get outs at key moments.

On the mound: Right-handed starter Ryan Feltner struggled with command — giving up four walks and two hits in the first inning — for an instant 4-0 Colorado deficit. Feltner left in the second inning after a line drive from outfielder Nick Castellanos connected with his head. Feltner was replaced by Peter Lambert and Brent Suter in relief and they combined to pitch 5⅓ scoreless innings. Colorado turned to RHP Jake Bird in the eighth and he gave up an RBI single that gave Philadelphia a two-run lead. Pierce Johnson closed the game and gave up a two-run homer to Bryce Harper in the ninth.

At the plate: Randal Grichuk smacked a double in the second to extend his current hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. Colorado manufactured its first run with an Alan Trejo sacrifice fly that scored Ryan McMahon. The Rockies added a pair of runs off Philadelphia starter Ranger Suarez in the third behind RBI doubles from C.J. Cron and McMahon to trail 4-3. Colorado later cut into the deficit, 5-4, with an Ezequiel Tovar sacrifice groundout in the eighth. But Colorado failed to produce a go-ahead run all night.

What’s next: Philadelphia Phillies (RHP Aaron Nola, 3-2) vs. Colorado Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 3-4), 1:10 p.m. Sunday (AT&T SportsNet) at Coors Field.