Rangers 6, Rockies 4: And the losing streak drags on...

A close game through the first seven innings in which the Rockies couldn’t capitalize with runners in scoring position, no surprise, ends in a favor of the Texas Rangers. The Rangers scored three insurance runs to top the Rockies 6-4. Kyle Gibson earned his first win and Germán Márquez is handed the loss and is now 2-3 this season. Márquez’s final line on the night was: 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 K, 2 BB.

Rox strike first

When the Rockies score first, it is usually a good sign – but tonight, unfortunately, it meant nothing. Tony Wolters came through big with two outs and two on base; he hit a double down the left field line to bring in Matt Kemp and Ryan McMahon. Rockies on the board 2-0 in the second inning.

The Rangers came back with a threat of their own in their half of the following inning. The team strung together three hits, but only scored one run from it. Fortunately, a ground ball to Nolan Arenado got the Rockies out of the threat with a well-executed rundown to get a double play and out of the inning.

Texas ties it

The top of the fifth was a productive inning for the Rangers. Three singles in a row would not only tie up the game 2-2, but Texas also managed to take the lead on a throwing error to first by Arenado (his second this season). Arenado caught a ball lined to him for the second out, but a bad throw to Murphy, and honestly a bad pick by Murph, led to Jose Trevino coming home and pulling the Rangers ahead 3-2.

Defense does it again

One thing the Rockies did well tonight was getting inning-ending double plays. On three separate occasions, the Rockies got out of innings with runners on base and no outs to holding the Rangers back from scoring multiple runs.

Eighth-inning woes

The Rangers cemented their win in the top of the eighth once Derek Dietrich hit a three-run home run out to left field off Carlos Estévez, 6-3 Rangers.

Even with two separate chances in the eighth and ninth innings, the Rockies still couldn’t produce enough from it to get the win. The team went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

In the eighth, Blackmon tripled and came home on a sac fly by Arenado. And in the ninth, Ryan McMahon took advantage of Raimel Tapia getting on first due to catcher’s interference by driving Tapia in on a double out to left. The Rockies came within two runs, but the rally fell short.

Up Next

The Rockies will try to avoid the sweep Sunday at 1:10 p.m. MT. Jon Gray (0-2, 6.41 ERA) is scheduled opposite Kolby Allard (0-0, 1.00 ERA).