The Colorado Rockies are sticking to the formula. And so far, it is working.

After a 5-1 win over the Oakland A’s completed a brief two-game sweep, the purplers improved to 4-1 on the year, dropping only the season opener 1-0 to the Rangers.

Once, again, the calling card was excellent pitching and defense, though the bats did their fair share in this one as well.

Player of the Game: German Marquez

Marquez continues to look like the ace of this staff, if not an emerging ace in MLB. He made maybe one bad pitch in the game, a home run surrendered to Matt Chapman on a high fastball in the first inning. Even then, the pitch wasn’t terrible and barely got out.

Beyond that, Marquez dominated his six innings, scattering three other hits and issuing just one free pass while striking out eight A’s hitters. He struck out the side in order in the fourth employing a breaking ball that had guys swinging like they were swatting at gnats.

According to Baseball Savant, he gave up just six hard-hit balls in the game.

The Rest of the Offense

The Rockies tied it up in the top of the second but missed an opportunity to take control of the early going. They loaded the bases before recording an out thanks to a walk from Daniel Murphy, a single from Ryan McMahon, and another walk by Garrett Hampson. Tony Wolters then exploded on a hanging breaking ball but it looked like it might still get caught up against the wall in right.

The ball actually hit Stephen Piscotty in the head and bounced away but McMahon got caught going back to the bag on the leaping attempt and so only one run was able to score. Piscotty was fine, by the way.

David Dahl followed up with a flyout to shallow center that wasn’t deep enough to produce a run and Trevor Story hit a scorcher to the right side but it was knocked down and turned into an out as the Rockies left ’em loaded.

They tacked on a run in the eighth when Story singled to right and scored all the way from first on an opposite-field double from Blackmon that snuck into the left-field corner.

They added two more in the ninth again thanks to Story and Blackmon. After the shortstop swiped second on a 3-1 pitch with a runner already at third, Blackmon smashed a full-count line drive back up the middle and off of reliever Jesus Lazardo.

The southpaw was able to recover and get to the ball but he lobbed the throw to first and not only was Blackmon able to beat it out to be safe, Story raced all the way home to make it 5-1. And that was the final.

Diamond Details

• Carlos Estevez pitched a clean inning with a strikeout, he has appeared in all but on of Colorado’s games this season.
• Jairo Diaz once again played with fire, loading the bases in the eighth, but his slider looks unhittable and he employed it to get two huge strikeouts and avoid any damage
• Yency Almonte recorded a three-up, three-down ninth on 10 pitches to keep his promising start to the season going.