Sometimes it takes persistence when fishing after a couple of days of disappointment. The Colorado Rockies found plenty to be happy about as they routed the Miami Marlins 6-3. The win snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Rockies and now puts them in position to aim for a series split on Thursday.
Freeland goes fishin’
For the first time since April 7, Kyle Freeland has earned a win.
Looking to be a stopper against the Marlins, Freeland came through on his end for another solid outing. Historically good against Miami
in his career, Freeland was able to combat the contact-oriented offense of the Fish for five innings.
From the get-go, it was clear Freeland had good command of his pitches and was spinning them well. His first time through the order, he collected four strikeouts while allowing just one hit and one walk. The knuckle-curve proved to be his best pitch once again, as it generated 55% of his 13 whiffs on the night.
The Marlins got on the board in the fourth inning after Liam Hicks singled and Heriberto Hernández doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Javier Sanoja then connected on a sinker that was left over the plate for a two-run triple that put Miami up 2-1 at the time. Freeland bounced back quickly, stranding Sanoja on third by striking out Kyle Stowers and getting Leo Jiménez to line out.
Freeland then worked around a pair of one-out singles in the fifth inning thanks to another strikeout and groundout. His night was over after throwing 85 pitches, having allowed just two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk.
Mickey, you blow my mind
The talk of the offense for the night was the performance of Mickey Moniak. Still shaking off some bad habits after returning from the injured list, Moniak had a home run on Tuesday night and got right back to work tonight. In his first at-bat of the game, Moniak blasted a 96 mph fastball over the plate to center field for his 14th home run of the season to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, Moniak then lined a ball into right field for a two-out double, but he got stranded at second base. His next at-bat came in the fifth inning, where he delivered a two-out two-run triple to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.
Unfortunately, Moniak was unable to get the single he needed for the cycle when he stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning, as he ended up flying out to left field in foul territory. He ended the night 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Fifth inning rally
Facing the formidable Max Meyer for Miami, the Rockies ended up scoring six runs, tying a season-high for him. After Moniak’s home run in the first, the Rockies were silenced until the bottom of the fifth inning.
Troy Johnston led off the inning with a single, followed by a hard-hit ball from Kyle Karros that was deemed an error as it deflected off of Sanoja at second base. Ezequiel Tovar then dropped a bunt, which resulted in a throw to third base. Johnston was initially called safe, which would have loaded the bases, but a replay challenge by Miami overturned it for the first out. Jake McCarthy then grounded out to first base for the second out, putting runners on first and second, setting the stage for Moniak’s triple.
Hunter Goodman then joined in on the fun with a two-run home run to left field to put the Rockies up 5-2. It was his 27th of the year, tying Larry Walker for the most home runs before the All-Star break in franchise history. It also had a 45-degree launch angle, which is tied for the second-highest in franchise history during the Statcast era.
Meyer’s night ended after the sixth inning, having given up just one earned run, while allowing six hits and striking out five while walking none. He was efficient with eight groundouts and generated 13 whiffs, thanks largely in part to his sweeper. It was the first loss for Meyer as he was 9-0 entering the game.
Tacking on for Karros
The Rockies weren’t able to do much else against the Marlins’ bullpen, but Karros led off the seventh inning with a towering home run to center field to extend the Rockies’ lead 6-3.
Karros ended the night 1-for-3 with two runs scored and has continued the success he found in June. The Rockies as a whole had seven hits, including three home runs, while striking out just six times. They didn’t manage to draw a walk and went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
The pen holds the line
After Freeland left the game, Juan Mejia fired two solid innings, Jimmy Herget a quick eighth, and Brennan Bernardino locked down the save in the ninth.
Mejia had the most eventful night as he worked two innings. He allowed the only hit of the night from the bullpen in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Joe Mack hit an inside-the-park home run on a ball that deflected off the center field wall for their third run of the game. Fortunately, Mejia bounced back nicely to keep things stable and move the line for the pen.
The pitching staff ended up allowing just two walks as a whole while striking out 11 Marlins hitters.
Up next
The Rockies and Marlins close out the four-game set at 1:10 pm MDT tomorrow. Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.83 ERA) will take the hill for the Rockies while the Marlins have yet to announce a starter.
See you then!
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