Márquez shows why he's an All-Star vs. SD
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SAN DIEGO -- Germán Márquez capped off his All-Star first half with yet another All-Star showing on Saturday night.
Márquez kept the Padres scoreless through seven innings of work and struck out nine batters in the Rockies’ 3-0 win at Petco Park.
“I felt really good commanding my pitches,” Márquez said in Spanish. “My two-seamer and changeup, [I] mixed it up against a good-hitting team. All of my pitches were working today, thankfully.”
The righty worked efficiently through the Padres’ lineup, allowing just three hits and walking one. He allowed just one runner to reach scoring position -- a double by Eric Hosmer with two outs in the second inning -- but kept him stranded by striking out Wil Myers with a slider.
Márquez capped off his brilliant night by quieting a potential Padres rally in the seventh, getting Trent Grisham to roll into a double play to end the inning.
“He threw the ball well today, man,” said Manny Machado, who went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against Márquez. “It was a tough game for us offensively. There's going to be days like that. He brought his best out today, and he's been bringing it out the last couple starts. We saw it tonight. It's just one of those days you tip your cap.”
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With his performance, Márquez also moved up in Rockies’ franchise record books. By striking out Jake Cronenworth in the fourth inning, Márquez took sole possession of fourth place on the Rockies’ all-time strikeout list, passing Pedro Astacio (749).
The first-time All-Star has been quite effective for the Rockies over his last five starts, including Saturday. He has given up three runs over his last 36 innings -- good for a 0.75 ERA in that span -- and is 4-0 after earning the win against the Friars.
Rockies manager Bud Black said the overall effectiveness with Márquez’s entire arsenal has been a key over his latest run of success. That same effectiveness showed up against the Padres on Saturday.
“The velocity has been there pretty consistently over the last couple months,” Black said. “The breaking ball was pretty consistent [tonight]. Both the slider and the curveball. But he got outs with every pitch and I think the thing that stood out for me was probably just the overall consistency of the breaking ball down.”
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For good measure, Márquez helped himself out with the bat, picking up a hit in the fifth inning that was ultimately cashed in on Charlie Blackmon’s two-run single. That was all the offense the Rockies would need.
Márquez’s outing was preserved by Carlos Estévez, who worked himself out of an eighth-inning jam, and Daniel Bard, who came in to close the door for his 13th save of the season.
“Excellent,” Márquez said of the effort from the bullpen. “[There was] a little bit of traffic with Estévez, but thankfully, he resolved it.”
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A noticeable development that Black has seen since he first started managing Márquez in 2017 is a change in demeanor during high-leverage situations.
“What I'm seeing is the emotional part,” Black said. “The poise. The delivery under control in the highest moments, in the most critical times. There's a veteran presence there that comes with being a pitcher in his fifth year.
“I think that's the thing that sort of sticks out for me, is the confidence that he has in his ability and just the presence and calmness when it gets hot. He's able to handle it.”