HEADLINE

Rockies’ German Marquez looks to extend success over Reds

Field Level Media

June 12, 2021 at 6:48 am.

If Colorado Rockies starter German Marquez hopes to lead his team to a something very rare this season — a road win — on Saturday afternoon, he will have to cool off the Cincinnati Reds’ powerful bats.

After giving up five homers to five different batters in the first five innings of an 11-5 loss to the Reds on Friday night, the Rockies fell to 5-25 on the road, the worst such mark in baseball.

Marquez (4-5, 3.91 ERA) is scheduled for his 14th start of the season, his fifth on the road. He is winless in four road decisions but primarily because he has not received a single run of support when he has been on the mound in those outings. He is 0-4 but has a very respectable 3.74 ERA, giving up just nine earned runs in 21 2/3 innings.

For a team that is struggling to find wins, Marquez has been one of the best pitchers on the staff, posting a 1.04 ERA (three earned runs in 26 innings) with 13 hits, seven walks and 27 strikeouts through his past four starts.

In three career starts against Cincinnati, Marquez is 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA. One of those starts came in Denver on May 14, when he allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in six innings in a 9-6 win.

“We recognized a number of starts ago that the tempo through his windup was a little fast, and then sometimes a little slow,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “In bullpen sessions, we really worked on him getting a consistent tempo from the time he made his first move to the time he released the ball, both out of the windup and in the stretch. I think that had a big impact.”

The Reds counter with Wade Miley (5-4, 2.96 ERA), who was robbed of a win in his last start when the bullpen blew a seven-run lead at St. Louis, giving up all seven runs in the sixth inning. In five scoreless innings, Miley allowed four hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Miley’s previous outing against Colorado came in his first start after his May 7 no-hitter in Cleveland. Miley showed the aftereffects, allowing a season-high 11 hits and eight runs and taking 9-6 loss in Denver on May 14.

Miley will hope for more offensive support Saturday from Reds veteran Joey Votto.

When Votto connected for a three-run homer in the third inning off Kyle Freeland on Friday, he tied Tony Perez for sixth on the franchise’s all-time hit list with 1,934. As he rounded third base, he began to show emotion and intensity, and that display continued as he crossed home plate and met teammates.

“I just want to do well,” Votto said of his seventh homer of the season and second in as many games. He returned from the injured list Tuesday after recovering from a thumb injury. “Early in the season, Jonathan India hit a home run, I admired his show of passion. … It’s something I want to add.”

Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez was pulled in the fifth inning for a pinch hitter by manager David Bell. Suarez was then tended to by trainers in the dugout.

After the game, Bell indicated that Suarez injured his right index finger at home on Thursday in a cooking accident. Bell said the ailment was not serious and that Suarez is expected to be ready to start Saturday.