Rox 'encouraged' by initial Márquez injury news

CLEVELAND -- Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez threw a fourth-inning pitch in Wednesday afternoon’s 4-1 loss to the Guardians, squatted in pain behind the mound, then walked despairingly to the dugout.

Best that can be said is the injury -- the second in as many starts to his pitching arm -- might not be as bad as it looked.

A preliminary examination from a Cleveland doctor suggested the latest issue is in his triceps, above the elbow. The injury that forced him from the April 10 start was inflammation in the right forearm.

Maybe, or at least until results emerge from Márquez’s follow-up MRI exam on Thursday, the Rockies can enjoy the momentum of their first series win of the season after taking the first two games of this set on Monday and Tuesday at Progressive Field.

But the last two starts for Márquez, who is in the discussion for best starting pitcher in club history, ended with him dropping the ball and walking off the field amid hurt and uncertainty.

“I was sad, because I want to pitch,” Márquez said. “But it’s hard to pitch, because of the pain.”

Márquez left the Rockies’ April 10 win over the Cardinals when he felt pain in his forearm while warming up for the sixth inning. An MRI exam showed inflammation in the belly of the forearm muscle -- not good, but not near the elbow.

Treatment and throwing went so well that he was declared fit for the finale against the Guardians, just one day after he was eligible to return from the 15-day injured list.

Can surprisingly good news for Márquez and the Rockies strike twice? Another IL trip seems likely. The hope is injuries above and below the elbow aren’t signs of something more extensive.

“Actually, the Cleveland doctor was encouraged,” manager Bud Black said. “It’s in a different spot, which I think is good overall, from what the medical people have informed me.”

Before Wednesday’s injury, Márquez was solid. He struck out four batters to increase his career total to 983, just two behind Jorge De La Rosa’s club-record 985.

In the first inning, Márquez walked José Ramírez, then served up an 0-2 pitch for a two-run homer to Josh Naylor.

In the fourth, Márquez felt pain while throwing a slider that Oscar Gonzalez knocked for a double. After a Will Brennan fly ball for the second out of the inning, Márquez threw a 93 mph fastball up-and-in to Cam Gallagher, then signaled that he was hurt.

Márquez then paced the mound, removed his glove and hat, stooped and let the baseball roll into the grass. As soon as Black and assistant athletic trainer Heath Townsend arrived, Márquez walked off the field rubbing his face and eyes with his purple jersey.

“That always hurts when you see something like that happen to somebody like him,” third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “He loves being out there and competing.”

Márquez said he was told “the tendon is good, everything is good, but I have to get an MRI tomorrow.”

The Rockies’ road to their 8-18 record was partly paved with major injuries. Gold Glove second baseman Brendan Rodgers will likely miss the season because of left shoulder surgery. Reliever Lucas Gilbreath (left elbow) and outfielder Sean Bouchard (left biceps) are gone for the year.

Starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela (left knee) and reliever Tyler Kinley (right elbow flexor tendon) are on the comeback trail from injuries that shortened last season, while outfielder Randal Grichuk (bilateral sports hernia surgery) is days from his first participation in 2023.

Not only is the 28-year-old Márquez on the cusp of the strikeout mark, but his 65 wins are third-most in club history. He also is one road win away from tying Aaron Cook (36) for that franchise record.

In 2021, Márquez appeared in the All-Star Game at Coors Field. The only other starters for the Rockies -- whose home environment is tough on pitchers physically, mentally and statistically -- to be invited to the Midsummer Classic were Mike Hampton (2001), Shawn Chacón (2003, who didn’t pitch because of injury), Cook (2008), Jason Marquis (2009) and Ubaldo Jiménez (2010).

The thus-far injury-addled season adds a layer of uncertainty to Márquez’s future in Purple Pinstripes. He is in the final year of a five-year, $43 million contract, although the Rockies hold a $16 million option for 2024.

Now, Márquez simply hopes to be healthy.

“I don't say it’s frustrating,” he said. “I'm kind of sad, because I want to pitch, throw as many innings as I can.

“But I think I’ll be all right.”