Colorado Rockies game no. 86 thread: Germán Márquez vs Tyler Gilbert

The Rockies have a shot to drag the Diamondbacks back into the basement of the NL West with them.

Largely thanks to the re-emerging bat of one Kris Bryant, the Rockies are in a situation where they could walk away with a series win in the desert. The Colorado Rockies won games one and two of the series before being crushed in game three. Now in game four they need strong pitching and clutch offense in their fight to drag the Arizona Diamondbacks back into the basement of the National League West with them… kicking and screaming if necessary.

Germán Márquez will toe the rubber for the Rockies in this afternoon series finale. Márquez put together a solid outing his last time out by pitching six complete innings and allowing four earned runs. He is still struggling with command, especially on his fastball. He walked three batters and gave up two home runs on easily punished pitches left center. However, his knuckle curve was working well for him and he struck out seven batters by getting them to pull the string. Márquez is still looking for a return to form this season after being an All-Star last year. All-Star reserves are announced at 3:30 PM MDT and Márquez is unlikely to be among them.

On the bump for the Diamondbacks is the left-handed Tyler Gilbert, who will be facing the Rockies for the first time this season. After a strong rookie campaign where he pitched a 3.15 ERA in nine appearances and six starts and even a no-hitter, Gilbert has had a more difficult sophomore season. Bouncing back and forth between the big league club and the Triple-A Reno Aces, Gilbert has an ERA of 6.86 over five appearances and four starts. He has given up seven home runs in 19 ²⁄₃ innings. Gilbert relies on a five pitch mix focused around his cutter, the primary put-away pitch which averages 86 MPH. He also throws a sinker, a four seam fastball, a curveball, and a split finger.

First Pitch: 2:10 PM MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain; MLB.tv

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

Lineups: