A four-run deficit proved to be too much for the Rockies to overcome as they lost the series opener to Miami, 5-4, at Coors Field.
The loss dropped their lead over Milwaukee for the second Wild Card to 11⁄2 games with five games to play.
It was scoreless through three innings, but the Marlins got on the board in the fourth when J. T. Realmuto singled home Marcell Ozuna. After Derek Dietrich singled to load the bases, Miguel Rojas cleared them with a double that just glanced off the glove of Ian Desmond, giving Miami a 4-0 lead.
That was all Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood allowed in his five innings of work in which he gave up seven hits, walked a pair and struck out five.
Charlie Blackmon got the Rockies on the board in the fifth with a two-out double that scored Alexi Amarista, who had singles, cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Dietrich and Rojas hurt the Rockies again in the sixth with back-to-back doubles against reliever Kyle Freeland, extending the Marlins’ lead back to four.
The Rockies got another run in their half of the sixth, with Nolan Arenado leading off the inning with a double and coming around to score on Gerardo Parra’s ground out. Jonathan Lucroy homereed in the seventh to cut the deficit to 5-3 and Arenado’s sac fly later in the inning made it a one-run game.
Miami threatened to extend the lead again in the eighth, but Chris Rusin and Carlos Estevez got three straight ground outs with the bases loaded, the first two being force outs at home, to keep it at 5-4.
Unfortunately, the Rockies could not come up with the tying run in the final two innings, and lost the game.
The teams will be back in action tomorrow night, with Tyler Anderson taking the ball for the Rockies against Jose Urena. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. Mountain time.