The Rockies will return to Denver with a 4-1 record — their best record heading into the home opener since 2017 when they started 3-1 against the Milwaukee Brewers. This win also marks their fourth win in a row and their fifth straight win against the A’s.
Márq of an ace
Germán Márquez was out-dueled in his first start on Friday, but today he was victorious. He gave up a solo home run to Matt Chapman to put the Athetics up 1-0 in the first and allowed a single in the second, but then struck out five of his next six batters (the sixth walked). In total, Márquez pitched six innings of one-run baseball, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out eight batters.
Shutdown bullpen
Carlos Estévez relieved Márquez in the seventh and pitched one scoreless inning. He did hit Stephen Piscotty, but also struck out Vimael Machin. Jairo Díaz was the only Rockies reliever to allow a hit — a single to Marcus Semien. His inning as a whole was a little more anxiety-inducing, seeing as he loaded the bases with a single, walk, and hit batter. However, he did record two strikeouts, including one to end the inning without any of the runners crossing home plate. Yency Almonte finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the victory.
Spotty offense, but good when it counted
The offense put up five runs, so obviously they showed up today! However, if you look at the box score, Charlie Blackmon and Ryan McMahon were the only two Rockies with multiple hits. After starting 0-for-11 with 8 strikeouts, McMahon now has back-to-back multi-hit games. Of the starters, Daniel Murphy and David Dahl each put up goose eggs.
Despite this, the runs were scored by good team baseball: a game-tying RBI single by Tony Wolters in the second inning, an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth by Garrett Hampson, a double by Blackmon to score Trevor Story, and a two-run error in the ninth.
Overall, it was a good afternoon for Rockies baseball.
Up Next
The Rockies have an off-day tomorrow before the head back to Colorado for the Home Opener on Friday! Jon Gray will take the mound at 6:10pm MT.