Friday, June 20

WASHINGTON -- Rockies right-handed pitcher Germán Márquez’s form is where it needs to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s where he wants it.

“I just felt good,” Márquez said. “My fastball has been successful. I’m getting to that point where I’m going to feel right, where everything is going to go right. I’m not there yet. I have to keep working, getting better every day.”

By holding the Nationals scoreless on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory, Márquez left his ERA at 2.94 over six starts since May 22. It’s his lowest ERA for a six-start period in a single season since his 2.89 mark from July 4-Aug. 6, 2021 -- the year he pitched in the All-Star Game at Coors Field.

Márquez struck out two and walked two, and was not dominant against the Nats. He used his defense -- some of it spectacular. Márquez attacked the strike zone with his fastball, and his misses weren’t sprayed all over the place. 

It was much different from Márquez’s first five starts, when he posted a 9.90 ERA. At times he missed opposite where he was aiming. Coming off missing most of the last two seasons because of Tommy John right elbow surgery, he expressed disappointment and mixed that emotion with worry.

“I was a little worried, and I feel like everybody got worried,” Márquez said. “I was missing my spots. But I was working on hitting my spot, trying to gain that. I feel now I can hit my spot and get results.”

On the back end of a two-year, $20 million contract extension, Márquez’s results are helping the Rockies overcome their poor start but also could help them in the future if the team receives a haul for dealing him before the July 31 Trade Deadline. It’s not something Márquez seeks publicly or privately, but the subject hangs over a struggling team. Until then, the Rockies like how he is improving their season.

“He’s in a good spot – he’s moving forward,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said.

Before playing the Nationals, the Rockies circled the name of the dangerous James Wood. In Thursday’s series finale, after the Rockies had won the first three games of the series and four straight overall, Wood homered twice -- the second time came when Schaeffer went away from the scouting report.

The fourth-inning, two-out, two-run shot off starter Chase Dollander was one thing. Dollander figured the long-armed Wood would not handle an inside fastball. 

“He’s an alien, for lack of better words,” said Dollander who followed a strong outing at Atlanta with six solid innings Thursday. "He’s really good. It’s going to be fun to keep facing him.”

With two down in the 11th, with the Rockies having scored in the top of the frame, Wood knocked a two-run shot off Seth Halvorsen. It was one where Schaeffer regretted giving him a chance to hit.

“That’s on me -- the pre-series meeting, we talked about not letting Wood beat us, and he beat us twice,” Schaeffer said.

Halvorsen, who converted two save chances after Zach Agnos was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the road trip, said, “I’m confident getting outs like that -- I just didn’t execute the last pitch. I left it up and he put a good swing on it.

“We played really good baseball on this trip, to win four games in a row. That was a lot of fun. Just keep it going when we get back to Denver.”

Tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks at Coors Field will celebrate Ryan. On the field for the Rockies will be third baseman Ryan McMahon and shortstop Ryan Ritter. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner would love to pitch, but he’s out with a back injury.

But the stands should be full of Ryans. A reserved seating area is being held for people named Ryan, as well as their guests. It’s one of a list of events leading up to an attempt to break the world record for people with the same first name in one place.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, 2,325 people named Ivan met in Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ryans are meeting and organizing with the intention of attempting to host an event called RyanCon and smash the Ivan record. Ryan’s around the globe point out that they are forming a worldwide network.

If you’re a Ryan, love a Ryan or just want to be around more Ryans than you ever dreamed at Coors tonight, click here.

Tyler Freeman matched an MLB record by being hit with three pitches during Tuesday night’s 10-6 victory over the Nationals. He also joined Ron Hunt (Giants 1969 vs. the Reds) as the only players to record a hit, a walk and three hit-by-pitches in the same game.

Through Tuesday, he was tied for 17th in times hit with six. But those occurred in just 100 plate appearances -- far fewer than anyone else who was hit six times. Freeman missed a little more than a month with a left oblique strain. The Mariners’ Luke Raley is giving him a run for his bruises -- five in 84 plate appearances.

Freeman clearly doesn’t mind being plunked. Last year, he was hit 19 times -- fourth in MLB and three behind leader Randy Arozarena of the Mariners. Freeman also missed time with an oblique injury last year and had just 383 plate appearances. Arozarena had 648 plate appearances.

“It’s cool, I guess,” Freeman said. “It’s going to hurt, yeah, but I’m OK with getting on base, too.”

Freeman’s father, Greg, a retired law enforcement official in San Diego and his coach growing up, didn’t exactly rub his son’s wounds.

“My dad was always telling me, just be tough,” Freeman said. “So I just get hit by a pitch and roll with it.”

Reliever Jake Bird often isn’t sure how many innings or even how many pitches he’ll throw. This season he has thrown as many as three innings in a game, and has gone beyond one inning on six occasions. But Wednesday night, he threw three pitches -- ending with a Daylen Lile grounder to squash the Nats’ sixth-inning threat.

“It depends on the day whether I know or not,” Bird said. “[Wednesday], I knew it was going to be the cleanup of the inning. When I went two innings last time in Coors, I wasn’t entirely sure. I usually try to take every pitch as it comes, every batter as it comes. The preparation stays the same for me, no matter the length of the outing.”

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