“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!” — Dr. Seuss
If there’s a funny sport, it’s surely baseball, a fact evidenced during tonight’s rainy series opener between the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies.
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After sweeping the Marlins earlier in the season, the Rockies hoped to pick up where they left off, but it was not to be. A lagging offense that was stumped by starter Eury Pérez left the Rockies in deep water they never managed to emerge from though they made an attempt as the Marlins swam off with a 6-5 win.
One fish: The Rockies’ offense couldn’t catch up
It was another evening of a slow Rockies offense early with a late surge that wasn’t quite enough.
The game started with two quick innings from Kyle Freeland. However, the Marlins got on the board first.
In the third inning, Joey Weimer was hit by a pitch. Following that, what should have been an inning-ending double play instead transformed into a lucky hit when a Javier Sanoja grounder hit second base, allowing Weimer to advance to third. Otto Lopez provided a sacrifice fly for the score.
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The Marlins added two more runs after Jakob Marsee doubled off the right-field wall to score Sanoja and Agustin Ramírez.
Blaine Crim got the Rockies first hit — and his first Coors Field hit — in the bottom of the inning. But the home team was unable to capitalize.
E3: 3-0 Marlins
The Marlins scored again in the sixth when Dane Myers doubled to bring in Heriberto Hernández and Eric Wagaman. Then Sanoja doubled to add one more, which knocked Freeland out of the game.
After Jaden Hill got the third out, the Coors Field grounds crew rolled out the tarp for a rain delay.
M6: 6-0 Marlins
Please enjoy this video, which was surely on the Coors Field playlist during the pause in action.
The rain delay finished Eury Pérez’s outing, which was a stellar 5.0 innings, giving up no runs on one hit. He struck out six and issued no walks on 71 pitches.
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His slider was something to behold.
Although the Rockies had at least begun to make contact during the fourth and fifth innings, they were unable to land a baserunner other than Crim.
The rain delay and pitching change did not initially improve the Rockies’ offense.
E6: 6-0 Marlins
And then in the eighth inning with Marlins reliever Michael Peterson pitching in relief, the Rockies offense woke up.
It started with two singles, the first by Kyle Karros and the second from Tyler Freeman. And then Mickey Moniak stepped to the plate.
His three-run homer marked his 22nd of the season and his third homer in the last two games.
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Hunter Goodman followed that with a single, and Jordan Beck added a walk, which got Peterson pulled from the game. Ronny Henrique’s entered for the third out and got it, finishing the evening.
E8: 6-3 Marlins
As is their wont, the Rockies attempted a ninth-inning rally.
Yanquiel Fernández hit a sacrifice fly to plate Brenton Doyle and make the score 6-4. Karros added another single followed by a Freeman being hit by a Ronny Henriquez pitch.
And that brought the man of the last two days, Mickey Moniak to the plate with two on and two out. And then chaos ensued.
Henriquez failed to cover first on a Moniak single, which allowed Karros to score and Freeman to move to third. Prior to this Henriquez had not allowed a run in his previous 16 appearances.
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With two on, Hunter Goodman stepped to the plate.
Unfortunately, he hit a line drive to Connor Norby, and the evening ended.
E9: Marlins 6, Rockies 5
The Rockies finished the evening with five runs on eight hits. They walked twice and struck out nine times. They were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
“It’s a testament to the guys,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said, noting that Pérez had had an excellent evening. “These boys fight.”
Of Mickey Moniak, Schaeffer said, “I hope he feels like he’s found a home here because I think he belongs. He’s a very good player, and he’s shown it pretty much all year.”
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Two fish: Kyle Freeland has more tough luck
Kyle Freeland, wearing Roberto Clemente’s #21 in honor of the baseball great, got off to a good start, but things got complicated in the third when the Marlins scored three runs in large part due to a lucky hit. He was good again in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough.
He finished the night going 5.2 innings, giving up six runs (all earned) on eight hits. He walked one, struck out one, and threw 77 pitches.
“I didn’t think he had a terrible start,” Schaeffer said, pointing to the Rockies’ tough luck when the ball hit second base to score a run. “I don’t think he was as bad as the line looks.”
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Red fish: Bullpen does their part
The bullpen was solid in this rain-delay-truncated game, allowing no runs on their watch.
Jaden Hill threw just two pitches to complete the top of the sixth.
Anthony Molina took the ball following the rain delay. He went two innings and 31 pitches, giving up just one hit.
The ninth fell to Victor Vodnik, who surrendered one hit before being bailed out by the defense.
Of the bullpen, Schaeffer said they “looked very good,” giving a nod to Molina’s performance.
Blue fish: Doyle rules!
Please enjoy this fourth-inning defensive gem courtesy of Brenton Doyle:
You thought that was good?
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Just wait until you see this robbery of a Dane Myers homer he pulled off in the eighth:
Doyle doing amazing things in centerfield is always a highlight.
“I don’t know if anybody else makes that play,” Schaeffer said.
Next up
The Marlins are now 71-80 while the Rockies fall to 41-110.
Join us tomorrow at 6:40 pm for Game 2 when Ryan Weathers faces McCade Brown (hopefully without a rain delay).
See you then.
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