Rockies 9, Reds 6: Offense stays hot, Márquez does enough

Wade Miley got hammered, the Rockies offense rolled, and the bullpen staved off another late surge by the Reds to secure their 9-6 victory on Friday.

Wade wobbly from the start

Wade Miley’s no-hitter must seem like a distant memory after his start on Friday. Miley pitched just three-plus innings and gave up eight runs on 11 hits against three walks and five strikeouts, laboring from the get-go. Garrett Hampson led the game off with a triple and scored when Reds first baseman Mike Moustakas misplayed Miley’s pickoff throw. That first inning was a precursor to the coming hardships for Miley, who would allow four runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth.

Márquez battles, stays in it

Germán Márquez is still trying to find his plus stuff, but Friday’s start was an indication of his continued improvement. Márquez pitched six innings and allowed four runs against three walks and eight strikeouts. He clearly began to fade towards the end but for the majority of his start the Venezuelan right-hander was calm and in control. His command was closer to his 2020 self, and the Rockies hope he can continue these positive trends in future starts.

Rockies bats beat down Reds

The offensive outburst on Thursday continued on Friday. Colorado strung together hits to bludgeon Wade Miley into submission early on. The third inning opened with a Trevor Story walk and a Charlie Blackmon single followed by base hits from Yonathan Daza and Elías Díaz to put the Rockies up 4-2. Another run would score on Márquez’s squeeze bunt before the inning ended. An inning later, things got even worse for the Reds as the frame opened with hits from Story, Blackmon (who was later removed from the game with what the team called a mild groin strain), Josh Fuentes, and Daza. While Cincinnati did make a push towards the end of the game, the lead was too much to overcome and the Rockies secured their third straight W.

Up Next

The Rockies will continue their series with the Reds on Saturday as Tyler Mahle (2-1, 3.00 ERA), takes on Jhoulys Chacín (0-1, 5.84 ERA), who is making his first Rockies start in seven years. First pitch is at 6:10 MDT.