First, a sliver of good news: The Rockies just concluded their first winning homestand of the season, going 4-3.
Now for the bad news, mixed in with a harsh dose of reality: They lost 8-5 on Sunday at Coors Field, concluding the homestand with two consecutive losses to the lowly Miami Marlins. Following a familiar script, pitching let the Rockies down and their bats went silent over the last five innings.
“It’s not a good homestand — winning homestand or not,” said Nolan Arenado, whose two-run homer in the first inning was one of the few bright spots for Colorado. “It doesn’t matter. We lost this series here, and to lose like we did today … The last couple of days have been bad. It’s not good. It’s been frustrating, but guys are working hard. That’s all you can ask for.”
The Marlins, at 31-47, have the worst record in the National League, but they managed to win two of three from the Rockies (38-40) at Coors after taking two of three against them at Miami in late April. In fact, Miami has won the season series with the Rockies for the seventh consecutive year, tied for the second-longest such streak in Colorado history. Only the active, eight-year losing streak to St. Louis is worse.
BOX SCORE: Marlins 8, Rockies 5
Miami blasted two Colorado pitchers Sunday — starter German Marquez and reliever Jake McGee. The game was still well within reach when McGee entered the game in the seventh with the Rockies trailing 6-5, but a single by Yadiel Rivera, a run-scoring triple by pinch-hitter Lewis Brinson and an RBI single by Derek Dietrich put Miami ahead 8-5. McGee, who’s ERA is now 5.90, got behind Brinson 3-1 and then threw a meaty fastball across the plate.
“More often than not, Jake is going to live and die with the fastball, and mix in some breaking balls,” manager Bud Black said. “But on 3-1 to Brinson, I assumed it had to be middle or just above the knee. That count is dangerous for all pitchers.”
With the bullpen in a patchwork state, the Rockies needed Marquez to give them a solid, lengthy start. He didn’t, because his two demons — the first inning, and Coors Field — haunted him again. The 23-year-old right-hander lasted just 3⅓ innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits.
“My pitches were up in the zone, and I didn’t execute,” Marquez said.
Miami tagged him for three runs in the first inning, coming out of the gate with four consecutive hits, including an RBI double by J.T. Realmuto and a two-run single by Justin Boar. Of the 54 runs Marquez has been charged with this season, 20 have come in the first inning, when opponents are hitting .378 (28-for-74) against him. Those 20 first-inning runs are the most in the National League, and Marquez has allowed runs in the first inning in 11 of his 16 starts, including the last four.
“These are all, hopefully, growth moments for him, each time he takes the mound, good or bad,” Black said. “He’s got to learn from these games. That first inning, he has to come out making pitches.”
Marquez has been solid on the road (3-3, 3.07 ERA), but Coors Field is chewing him up and spitting him out. He is 2-5 with a 7.93 ERA in the hitters’ park.
“A lot of our starters and a lot of our pitchers have had a tough time so far at home,” Black said. “It’s no secret that, collectively, we are not pitching like we need to pitch.”
Colorado managed only six hits, but Arenado is starting to put together an MVP-type season.
His two-run, 415-foot blast to left, his 18th homer of the season and ninth in the first inning, put the Rockies on the scoreboard and cut Miami’s lead to 3-2. Arenado has launched a home run in five of his last six games and is batting .318.
Colorado scored two more runs in the third inning on a two-out, two-run single up the middle by Trevor Story, who drove in DJ LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon. Gerardo Parra‘s leadoff homer in the fourth cut Miami’s lead to 6-5. It was Parra’s fifth homer and his second in the last two games.
Looking ahead
Monday: Off day
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (5-1, 5.23 ERA) at Giants LHP Derek Holland (5-7, 4.48), 8:15 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (7-6, 3.55) at Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (1-2, 3.20), 8:15 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (7-7, 5.52) at Giants RHP Chris Stratton (8-5, 4.14), 1:45 p.m., ATTRM
Friday: Rockies RHP Tyler Anderson (4-3, 4.62) at Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (1-2, 5.30), 8:10 p.m., ATTRM
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