Colorado Rockies game no. 98 thread: Michael Kopech vs Germán Márquez

The Rockies kick off a quick two-game set with the ChiSox on Tuesday

The Colorado Rockies avoided a sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers by way of their 2-0 victory yesterday and will try to make it a streak as they return home to Coors Field for a short two-game set against the visiting Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox haven’t had the kind of season that many in their fanbase were hoping for at the dawn of the season, but they’ve still got a fair amount of talent on their team, including starter Michael Kopech (3-6, 3.36 ERA). Kopech was untouchable in the first two months of the 2022 campaign (an ERA of 1.42 in April and 1.17 in May), but has looked far more human lately (5.19 in May and 6.00 in July). The right-hander has allowed hard contact lately, giving up ten home runs in his last nine starts, including a four-homer beatdown in Minnesota at the start of the month that saw him allow a season-high six earned runs. Tuesday night will be his first career start against the Rockies, and they’ll look to keep that hard contact coming at Coors.

The Rockies will send Germán Márquez (6-7, 5.47 ERA) in opposition to Kopech. The 27-year-old right-hander has continued to take positive steps recently, and the summer heat seems to have done something to heat up his arm as July has been Márquez’s most effective month of the season. He’s thrown 6, 7, and 6 ²⁄₃ innings, respectively, in his last three starts – the Rockies won two of those three contests. It’s been quite a while since “Marquee” has faced the Pale Hose, as his last outing against them was in 2017. That was a seven-inning, three-run appearance that garnered him the win in an eventual 12-4 Colorado conquest.

Randal Grichuk and José Iglesias each have an at-bat against Kopech, though neither have a hit. “Iggy” will not be available after fouling a ball off his foot yesterday. Yasmani Grandal is hitting .143 in his 14 tries against Márquez, while AJ Pollock is hitting .409 after 22 ABs. Those two are hitting sixth and seventh in Chicago’s lineup on Tuesday. Kris Bryant is also set to appear, which is good news after reports of a foot issue worried some fans.

First Pitch: 6:40 PM MDT

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

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

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