As the state continues to see record highs this week, the Rockies are turning up the heat as well, as they move their winning streak to four games after besting the Brewers and their ace on Thursday.
Germán Márquez vuelve a ser un as
Germán Márquez was hit hard in his last outing, but looked like a world beater on Thursday. The Venezuelan right-hander tossed six strong shutout innings, allowing three walks, two strikeouts, and just one line hit. Márquez worked around some shaky infield defense (more on that later) to limit the Brewers offense in Denver, just as they’d been in Cincinnati. The start also helped him make good on his earlier affirmation to take his previous start “off his brain.”
What a night 4⃣8⃣! pic.twitter.com/apdWwqp3nM
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 18, 2021
A trip to the Cron Zone
The Rockies didn’t allow Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff any time to settle in, as they struck hard in the first inning. After Raimel Tapia grounded out, Yonathan Daza shot a hit to right followed by a strikeout looking from Charlie Blackmon (who, by the way, recorded his 5,000th plate appearance this evening, behind Rockies legends Carlos González and Todd Helton). With two outs, the Rockies strung together some quality at-bats, resulting in a hit by Trevor Story, a walk by Ryan McMahon, and a grand slam by C.J. Cron (his eighth long ball of the season) to give the home team an early 4-0 lead. They weren’t done yet, however, as Garrett Hampson added his sixth homer of the season to make it 5-0. That would be all the Rockies needed on to secure the victory, though two more runs were added in the sixth to give Rockies fans their much-desired taco’s.
Raimel Tapia collected an RBI single in that sixth inning, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. Is he an All-Star? Let us know in the comments!
You ask. We deliver.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 18, 2021
GRAND SLAM #CRONTENT pic.twitter.com/syfb9MfXuL
A comedy of errors
If there’s one thing both teams could stand to clean up for the rest of the series, it’s the defense. The Rockies and Brewers combined for a rough seven errors on Thursday — three for Colorado, and four for Milwaukee. While none ended up in runs allowed for the Denver squad, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on; Colorado is currently ranking the fourth-highest National League team in errors per game.
Up Next
The four-game set continues as Antonio Senzatela (2-7, 4.86 ERA) does battle with the Brewers’ number two starter, Corbin Burnes (3-4, 2.27 ERA). Burnes has been very good this season, though was touched up a tad in his last start. Senztela, meanwhile, has followed the trend of his teammates wherein he is far more effective at home than on the road.
First pitch is at 6:40pm MDT. See you then!