Rockies 7, Diamondbacks 1: Rockies put the W in teamWork

Everything went right for the Rockies on Friday, as their combination of strong starting pitching, lockdown defense, and timely hitting led them to the victory over the Diamondbacks.

Márquez looks like his ace self

Is Germán Márquez “back?” It sure seems like it lately. His start on Friday showed the best of what he can do at the front end of the Rockies rotation. Márquez tossed seven very strong innings, allowing zero runs on four hits against three walks and eight strikeouts. He was able to mix his pitches well and adjust strategies when necessary — namely in the first inning, when he threw six straight balls at one point (all fastballs) before giving up a base hit. With first and third with one out, it would have been easy for him to allow the game to slip away. Instead, the 26-year-old right-hander utilized more sliders to get David Peralta swinging and force a grounder from Josh Rojas to end the threat. It was smooth sailing from then on.

RyMac jacks and Tapia taps

The Rockies had a brutal time hitting in the seaside air of San Diego, but not so much in Denver. Their seven runs came off of the bats of Raimel Tapia, C.J. Cron, and Ryan McMahon. Tapia launched a 442-foot blast for two runs, while Cron knocked in two with two singles. McMahon, however, was the star of the show. He hit two home runs — his first was a 424-foot two-run shot and his second a solo bomb at 457 feet. McMahon continues to impress as he continues his strong 2021 campaign, and he is almost certainly in the conversation as the Rockies’ representative All-Star thus far.

The return of Rodgers

Fans were easily awaiting the return of Brendan Rodgers, and he looked solid in his first game back. While he did not collect a hit, the Florida native looked locked in at second base, making a few above-average plays and turned a 4-6-3 with infield partner Trevor Story. His seventh inning diving grab of a Josh Reddick grounder was probably his finest, and was integral in assisting Márquez to get through his last inning of work.

Up Next

Madison Bumgarner (4-3, 4.15 ERA) will take on Antonio Senzatela (1-4, 5.18 ERA) tomorrow as the Rockies continue their series against the Snakes. Bumgarner left his last start early with a spasm in his left adductor muscle, so we’ll see if that injury has any impact on the game.

First pitch is at 1:10 MDT. Catch you then!