The quest for a 162-win season came to an end on Saturday evening as the Marlins beat the Rockies 7-3 in Miami. After putting up six runs in each of the season’s first two games, the offense was shut down by Marlins’ starting pitcher Pablo López and the Miami bullpen.
After an early 2-0 deficit, Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl each drove in a run in the top of the third inning. The Fish broke the tie in the fourth inning and after the Rockies battled back for a run in the sixth. The Marlins blew the game open with two more runs in the seventh.
False Start
Rockies’ starter Tyler Anderson did not have many clean first innings in 2018, so it appeared to be a good sign when he pitched around a two-out single to retire the side in the first during Saturday’s affair.
The second inning brought more struggles for Anderson as the Marlins scored two runs on four hits. Anderson had a 1-2-3 third inning but allowed three runs on four hits (two doubles) in the fourth. Anderson ended his start on a high note, retiring the side in order in the fifth inning.
Ultimately, Anderson was saddled with the loss and prevented the Rockies from getting a third quality start in a row. On the plus side, Anderson did not walk a batter.
The bullpen giveth...
Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw both had scoreless appearances. And those are a couple of names that Rockies’ fans would certainly like to see scoreless appearances from!
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for DJ Johnson. Johnson came into the game in the seventh inning, getting Brian Anderson to ground out before allowing three hits in a row. Mike Dunn then came into the game and allowed an inherited runner to score on an RBI bunt single from Curtis Granderson. The book was closed on Johnson, allowing two runs in a third of an inning of work. Any attempt at a comeback by the Rockies’ offense seemed to be stifled at this juncture.
Good news and bad news
Garrett Hampson got his first start of the season on Saturday, receiving the start at second base with Ryan McMahon shifting over to first base. Here’s the good news—Hampson made a sparkling play at the keystone:
The kid @ghamp2 can flat out play. pic.twitter.com/wOx4nIbRmI
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) March 31, 2019
The bad news is that Hampson’s insertion into the lineup was due to an injury suffered by Daniel Murphy during Friday’s game. According to Nick Groke of The Athletic, Murphy has a fractured left index finger and is expected to hit the 10-day injured list.
1B Daniel Murphy has a fracture left index finger. He will see a specialist on Monday and said he expects to be on the 10-day injured list.
— Nick Groke (@nickgroke) March 31, 2019
What’s next
The Rockies and Marlins wrap up the opening series of the season tomorrow morning (for those of you in Colorado or west of it). First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 a.m., Colorado time.