German Marquez mowed with his “Easy Cheese” stuff. The bullpen, after a brief blip, didn’t blink. And a walk-off wild pitch was a welcome reprieve from the depressing storylines that have mostly comprised the Rockies’ 2021 season.
Put together, those ingredients gave the Rockies a 3-2, extra-innings victory over the reeling Rangers in the series opener Tuesday night at Coors Field. Ryan McMahon’s game-winning walk-off run in the 11th powered Colorado to the victory after Marquez threw seven innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out seven.
“That win goes across our pitching staff,” said reliever Mychal Givens, who was credited with the win. “We’re plugging along and this is more motivation. Everyone’s had each other’s backs when we’ve been up-and-down, and we’re coming along in dealing with the adversity. The struggles we’ve been through are bringing us close together to do some good things (like tonight).”
McMahon got the Rockies going early against Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning. His two-out, first-inning double off the centerfield wall set the home team up for the lead. Charlie Blackmon singled McMahon home to make it 1-0.
Free passes continue to be an issue for Marquez, who entered the game tied for the National League lead in walks. That trend continued in the fourth, when Marquez walked leadoff man Nate Lowe and it came back to haunt him.
Adolis García followed with a single and in the next at-bat, Brendan Rodgers committed a throwing error on an attempted double-play off Joey Gallo’s grounder. Marquez was covering first base on the play and had no chance at the errant throw. Lowe scored on the play, evening the game 1-1.
“I just forgot about that (play), and kept pitching,” Marquez said.
Marquez bounced back with a one-two-three fifth, and the Rockies re-took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Don Nunez, hitting .150 with nine strikeouts in his last 20 at-bats coming into Tuesday, led off with a double. Then, with two outs, Yonathan Daza’s line drive deflected off Dunning’s glove and went into center, scoring Nunez. That made it 2-1.
Meanwhile, Marquez continued to cruise. Black said “the fastball was a big part of (Marquez’s success), but he also got some strikeouts with the slider and the curveball and I was impressed with a couple changeups he threw.”
Marquez matched his previous best start of 2021, seven innings of shutout ball on May 21 against Arizona, and has now posted three straight quality starts. He and Black had a conversation about going back out for the eighth, but the right-hander felt gassed at 88 pitches.
“That was maybe the toughest decision I had all night,” Black said. “But when he talked to me after the seventh, he indicated to me that he had hit the end of the line.”
Colorado’s offense was mostly silent beyond the fourth inning. The Rockies stranded 11 runners. Following Marquez’s exit, Carlos Estevez couldn’t hold the lead. He had eight straight scoreless outings coming in, but Khris Davis tied the game with his first pinch-hit homer in nearly six years, an opposite-field shot off an elevated slider.
“He hung a slider out over the plate, and Davis has power, as we know,” Black said. “(Davis) looked to be in swing mode, and he didn’t miss it.”
Daniel Bard held the score at 2-2 with a flawless ninth, striking out the side with plus stuff. Bard has a 0.90 ERA in his last 10 appearances.
“Bardo looked sharp with his three punch-outs — the breaking ball was really good and the fastball was live (topping out at 98.6 mph),” Black said. “He made some really good pitches through the heart of their order.”
Dom Nunez led off the ninth with a walk against right-hander Ian Kennedy. But then Garrett Hampson could not get a bunt down, striking out with his third try went foul, and the slumping Raimel Tapia grounded into an inning-ending double-play the next pitch.
With the California rule in effect for extra innings, the Rockies’ bullpen didn’t wilt as it has done many times previously this year. Tyler Kinley got three consecutive outs to end the threat in the 10th, then Givens set the Rangers down in order in the 11th, retiring two batters and picking off a runner.
“Marquee’s start was unbelievable, and we in the bullpen know that with our starters doing so well (lately), we need to capitalize on that and try to give us a chance to win,” Givens said.
Colorado improved to 3-3 in extra innings this year and notched its fifth walk-off win, tied for the most in the majors. The Rangers, meanwhile, lost a franchise-record 13th straight road game.
