Padres 8, Rockies 0: Offense absent in another big loss

One rough inning was more than enough to sink the Rockies on Friday

It was another tough night for the Rox on the road as they were completely outclassed by the Padres on Friday evening. A big fifth inning for San Diego was more than enough, as Colorado once again found themselves utterly unable to fight back in another lopsided loss.

Márquez masterful…until he wasn’t

Germán Márquez’s start was nothing short of phenomenal for the most part. The fan-favorite righthander took San Diego’s vaunted offense to task for the first four innings of the game, allowing just two hits and inducing weak contact. He looked every bit the ace that he was back in 2020, and it was through his efforts that the game remained close for as long as it did. While Colorado’s offense tried to figure out the opposing Nick Pivetta, the reliable Márquez kept the game squared at 0-0.

He was helped by some excellent defense, such as a play in the bottom of the third inning that saw Nick Martini reach over the foul line and into the stands to snag a Jason Heyward pop out and record the first out of the frame.

Martini, who’s been one of the more consistent members of the Rockies on both sides of the ball, continues to stake his claim at a starting role.

Hunter Goodman also showed off his defensive capabilities when he cut down Gavin Sheets’ attempted steal of second base to end the fourth frame. These highlights, plus Márquez’s strong initial outing, kept the game square until the middle innings.

And then…

A frightful fifth inning

Yeah, the game really went off the rails here.

After a masterful first four innings of work, Márquez faltered in the fifth. It began with a Xander Bogaerts base hit, after which he stole second and scored on Jose Iglesias’s subsequent single. Heyward then grounded into what appeared to be a momentum-killing double play, but the play was called dead after catcher’s interference by Goodman.

That seemed to flip the switch in San Diego.

Brandon Lockridge’s sacrifice bunt set up back-to-back singles to increase Colorado’s deficit to three, and then up to five after Manny Machado’s two-run double. What was once a 0-0 game turned to a five-run hole almost in the blink of an eye.

After Angel Chivilli finally ended the inning (after allowing one last run), the Padres had scored half a dozen times. Márquez’s once-sterling pitching line now bore serious battle scars: six runs allowed (five earned) on seven hits and a walk in 4 ²⁄₃ innings of work. Yikes.

The Friars would add on in the sixth and seventh innings, but the damage was done. There was no coming back from this one.

Offensive woes obvious as ever

While Colorado’s pitching staff found themselves unable to hold back the relentless Padres attack, the Rockies lineup didn’t exactly do itself any favors.

They managed just three hits off of Pivetta — who entered the game with an ERA over 15 against the Rockies — and each of those three knocks belonged to Kyle Farmer. In fact, the only other Colorado batter to even reach base was Ezequiel Tovar by way of a walk. That’s all — there was no other offense to speak of.

With 15(!!!) strikeouts in the contest, they now hold the league’s top — or I guess bottom? — spot in that category. It’s more of the same from a lineup that’s still looking for any semblance of sustained success. It wasn’t to be found tonight.

Up Next

The Rockies will try to get back on track with a bounce-back performance against the Padres on Saturday. That contest will pit Chase Dollander, in his second-career start, against Kyle Hart, making just his sixth.

First pitch is at 6:40pm MST. See you then!

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