Rockies Lineup: Building on Walk-Off Win as Sean Sullivan Faces Hometown Red Sox

The Colorado Rockies need wins any way they can get them, including in historic fashion. A walk-off finish to take the Boston Red Sox by surprise was Monday evening’s affair. The Rockies won 3-2, and they are going to need that kind of miracle again on Tuesday in order to take the series.

Standing in their way is one of the American League’s best.

A Hometown Moment for Sullivan

Sean Sullivan is getting another opportunity to take the mound for Colorado. This will make just the third time in his short-lived MLB career. The 23-year-old right-hander was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and on this day, he will face the Red Sox for the first time in his major league career.

Sullivan made his debut on June 12 and people took notice. In his first chance, he threw three scoreless innings against the Athletics. He went on to be in the rotation again on June 17, where he faced off with the Chicago Cubs, and that start didn’t go as well.

He allowed nine hits and eight earned runs in 4.0 innings. Now, the Rockies are keeping the faith by sending him out again to take on the Red Sox.

The Matchup Issue

Colorado Rockies center fielder Mickey Moniak | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Colorado is going to have a big mountain to climb on Tuesday night as Sonny Gray will be toeing the rubber for the Red Sox. He is one of the best in the American League, sitting at 8-1 with a 3.12 ERA across 13 starts for 2026.

Over his last seven, he is 5-0 with a 2.83 ERA. If you keep zooming in, it just keeps getting worse for the team in purple. His last outing was 7.0 innings of three-run ball against the Toronto Blue Jays.

For the Colorado-based organization to get a win on Tuesday, they are going to need their lineup to be functioning at full force. This is not something that has been done most recently.

Monday was encouraging, though, as the Rockies went 4-for-5 with runners in scoring position and got substantial contributions from Jake McCarthy, who drove in three runs, while Mickey Moniak, fresh off the IL, knocked his average to .285.

The Chosen Lineup for Game 2 vs Red Sox

Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Manager Warren Schaeffer continues to rearrange and try new things looking for the perfect set. Here are his choices to take the field on Tuesday:

CF Jake McCarthy
LF Mickey Moniak
C Hunter Goodman
1B TJ Rumfield
RF Tyler Freeman
3B Willi Castro
DH Troy Johnston
SS Ezequiel Tovar
2B Edouard Julien

The Rockies are now 31-48 a whopping 19 games back in the National League West, but the core is starting to look good and they continue to compete.

Tuesday will be a task to win, but Sullivan may just find some inspiration playing in front of his hometown.

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