The Rockies make their first trip south of the border since 2019
After heading north of the border just two short weeks ago, the Colorado Rockies now head south to face the Houston Astros in Mexico City. Both teams are 7-19 and are looking to get things started. The Rockies will be the home team for this series.
This is the Rockies’ fifth trip to Mexico in franchise history. Previously, they traveled to Monterrey in 2019 and 1999, Hermosillo in 2015, and Culiacan in 2001. Their only regular season game in Mexico was Opening Day 1999 against the San Diego Padres at Estadio del Béisbol. With their trip to Toronto from April 12-14, the Rox are the third team in MLB history to play a game in three different countries in the same month (excluding Puerto Rico), per Elias. They join the 1996 Padres (Canada, Mexico, USA) and 2019 New York Yankees (Canada, England, USA).
The Rockies have had 15 Mexican-born players appear at the Major League level. Vinny Castilla, a native of Oaxaca, and Jorge De La Rosa, a native of Monterrey, accompanied the team on this trip and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Sunday’s contest.
But this afternoon, Cal Quantrill (0-2, 4.33 ERA) will take the mound for the Rockies. It is Quantrill’s 100th-career start, and he will become the first Canadian-born pitcher to start a regular season in Mexico, per Elias. In his last outing against the Seattle Mariners on April 21, Quantrill allowed three hits over six scoreless innings for his third-consecutive quality start of the season. He threw 108 pitches — tied for the second-most in his career (3x) — and walked a career-high five batters for the second time. The Rockies won the game 2-1 in extra innings.
Quantrill will face Houston righty Ronel Blanco (2-0, 1.33 ERA), who is making his first-career appearance vs the Rockies. In his last outing against the Washington Nationals on April 20, Blanco allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts in six innings. He didn’t factor into the Astros extra-innings loss, but marked his fourth-consecutive quality start to begin the season. Blanco previously threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1.
Can the Rockies get to Blanco this series, and take advantage of the extra altitude?
First Pitch: 4:05 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.tv
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Lineups:
Game 1 in Mexico City.
⚾️: 5:05pm
: @SpaceCityHN | @MLBNetwork
️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#Relentless x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/3UhzWld9RI— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2024
Lineups are set pic.twitter.com/6tBJ6RbHlU
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 27, 2024