The Denver Debacle: Rockies lose 19-2 to last place Giants

DENVER – With a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants scheduled for the Colorado Rockies on Monday, RHP Yency Almonte was added to the roster as the 26th Man. It became apparent very quickly that an arsenal of pitchers was more appropriate for Game One.

A rough first inning by German Márquez became a rough start which evolved into a nightmare game for Colorado. After back-to-back singles to leadoff the first, back-to-back home runs by Brandon Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski punctuated a five-run opening frame.

Márquez settled down in the second with a 1-2-3 inning, but the wheels came off the wagon and rolled off into the ditch during a seven-run third for the Giants. On 37 pitches, the 24-year-old surrendered five consecutive hits – four of which were doubles.

When all was said and done, Márquez suffered the worst start of his career over 83 pitches: 2.2 innings pitched, 11 hits, and 11 earned runs. The fact that it came at a time in which Colorado needed at least six quality innings from him only adds insult to injury.

Jesus Tinoco also tossed 2.2 innings, giving up five runs, and Almonte threw 2.2 innings as well, allowing only one.

Offensively, there’s little to discuss. Mark Reynolds singled in the third inning and through the fifth, he was the only Rockies player to reach base against Giants’ starter Jeff Samardzija; he walked in the fifth and would eventually add another single. Raimel Tapia knocked a pinch hit home run, his third such homer of the season, and Ryan McMahon also hit a solo shot as the other bright spots in the 19-2 debacle.

Reynolds also contributed in the ninth for Colorado by becoming only the third position player in franchise history to pitch, joining Brent Mayne in 2000 and Todd Zeile in 2002.

Equally noteworthy, Giants’ Brandon Crawford became the third player since the franchise moved to San Francisco to record eight runs batted in during a game. Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda and Willie Mays both accomplished the feat in 1961, coincidentally. Crawford is also the first shortstop to notch five hits and eight RBI in a single game.

The loss put Colorado back under .500 once again and slipped them to 2.0 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the final NL Wild Card spot.