Rockies manager Bud Black is staying positive on the potential for supposed ace German Marquez to turn around his disastrous season.
“I think it’s going to happen every fifth day,” Black told the KOA radio broadcast team before Colorado embarked on a four-game road stand at the Nationals.
However, in a 7-3 loss on Thursday, that hope quickly evaporated in yet another rough Marquez outing. The right-hander imploded with four earned runs on four hits in the first inning. He settled in to hold the Nationals scoreless in four of the next five innings. But he recorded just two strikeouts with three walks and Colorado’s bullpen failed to provide any relief.
The Rockies (20-24) aim to turn things around on Friday in Washington. Following a 3-6 homestand, Colorado failed to produce enough runs to overcome Marquez’s slow start on Thursday night. Third baseman Ryan McMahon also committed his ninth error of the season.
Brendan Rodgers extended his current hitting streak to 13 games (double) and opened the door for an early Jose Iglesias RBI single off Washington starter Patrick Corbin. Then Charlie Blackmon ripped a two-run double as part of a three-run Colorado third inning. Yonathan Daza was exceptional — going 2 for 3 with a single, double and walk — to improve his team-leading .364 batting average.
But Washington turned a trio of double-plays taking the air out of several promising Rockies run opportunities. Colorado’s lineup also didn’t produce enough to solve the Nationals’ bullpen (Victor Arano and Steve Cishek).
Meanwhile, Marquez lacked pitch command to dig Colorado’s hole. It’s an issue he’s fought all year. His at least four earned runs given up over six starts this season rank as tops in the majors.
“I know it’s frustrating for, most notably, German. Because of his pride and his confidence and his desire to be at the very top of our rotation,” Black said before the game. “It’s been a struggle for sure. The coaches are searching for everything we can to help him through this. He’s going to come out and compete, I know that, he’s going to get after it. But, more than that, you’ve got to make pitches. For German, he’s got to get the ball down.”
Reliever Ty Blach entered in the seventh trailing 5-3 and loaded the bases with one out. The Nationals added a run on a Josh Bell sacrifice fly before Blach closed the side. Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin worked the eighth. He gave up a triple to Dee Strange-Gordon and an RBI bunt single to Victor Robles to make it 7-3.
McMahon’s second-inning error, failing to drop his glove enough to secure a ground ball, didn’t factor into scoring.
