Colorado Rockies game no. 103 thread: Tony Gonsolin vs. Germán Márquez

Colorado looks to split the four-game set despite an opposing All-Star starting on the hill

We’ve got a shot at a series split this afternoon!

After a dismal 13-run victory by the Dodgers on Thursday, the Rockies pulled close in a Friday 4-5 defeat. Saturday’s 5-3 Colorado victory featured great bullpen work, a great start by Kyle Freeland and even a loss by future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw — setting the table for the Rockies to even the series in the Sunday City Connects.

Germán Márquez returns to the hill after pitching against the White Sox last Tuesday. He allowed one run on seven hits, carving through six innings in an eventual 1-2 defeat. Colorado was held scoreless until the ninth inning in that contest, so Márquez was forced to take the tough-luck loss.

Márquez’s ERA has steadily declined in each of his last five starts; it stands at a 5.16 and peaked as high as 5.90 earlier this month. This is a far decline from the 6.92 he held in early May, and a 1.05 WHIP in the month of July further suggests he’s returning to early 2021 form.

Los Angeles’ Tony Gonsolin takes the mound just days after his appearance in the 2022 All-Star Game. That outing happened to be one of his worst of the year: he allowed back-to-back home runs to Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton. He has also allowed nine earned runs in his last 11 regular-season innings (two starts), lifting his ERA from a 1.62 before that stretch to a 2.26, so the All-Star momentum seems to have slowed since he was named to the NL roster.

Gonsolin is still holding a tremendous body of work this year, but a Coors Field start during his coldest stretch of the season could be dangerous.

Colorado tapped into their bullpen on Saturday with one inning each from Lucas Gilbreath, Alex Colomé and newly-extended Daniel Bard. The trio combined for three innings of shutout work, throwing a combined 34 pitches. All three could easily pitch again this afternoon, while the Dodgers also have a lot of their bullpen available.

Craig Kimbrel tossed 29 pitches in a Friday save, so L.A. manager Dave Roberts may elect to use Alex Vesia for a potential save or late-inning hold. Former Rockie Yency Almonte has yet to pitch in this series, so the likelihood of seeing the rebranded reliever is high this afternoon.

First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain (COL), SportsNet LA (LAD); MLB.tv

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

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