Sometimes, it’s just not your day. That is the lesson Germán Márquez and the Colorado Rockies learned in Friday’s 8-5 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
The Rockies jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the top of the third when Charlie Blackmon reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on a DJ LeMahieu double. The Rockies also got RBI singles in the inning from Nolan Arenado and Ian Desmond to take a 3-0 lead.
San Diego got a run back against Márquez in the bottom of the inning when Chase d’Arnaud singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Allen Cordoba.
In the top of the fourth, the Rockies expanded their lead to three again thanks to a well-executed squeeze bunt by Márquez that brought home Trevor Story, giving the Rockies a 4-1 lead.
It all came unraveled for Márquez in the bottom of the fourth, when a line drive from Frenchy Cordero deflected off his pitching hand and ended up an RBI single. After testing out the hand with some warm up pitches, Márquez stayed in the game and promptly gave up a game-tying two-run home run to Austin Hedges.
The Padres took the lead for good on another two-run home run in the fifth, this one off the bat of Yangervis Solarte. Five innings is all Marquez would last despite striking out nine, walking just one and throwing 61 of his 80 pitches for strikes, mostly because he allowed six runs, all earned, on eight hits, including the two home runs.
San Diego grabbed an insurance run on three softly-hit singles against Scott Oberg and grabbed another in the seventh on a solo home run by Wil Myers off of Mike Dunn. Between those two, the Rockies got a run when Story’s RBI single scored Arenado to make it 7-5 at the time.
Any comeback chance for the Rockies was shut down by a talented Padres bullpen and home plate umpire Dan Iassogna, who did his usual lousy job of calling balls and strikes all night and decided those talented relievers should have a home plate that was two feet wide instead of the usual 17 inches.
The Rockies will try to even the series tomorrow with Tyler Chatwood on the mound against former Rockie Jhoulys Chacin. First pitch will be at 2:10 p.m. Mountain time.