The Rockies have suddenly become homewreckers.
They won their second straight game at Miami’s loanDepot Park Saturday afternoon, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to win, 4-3. The victory clinched Colorado’s first series victory at Miami since 2013.
Randal Grichuk delivered the go-ahead run in the ninth off Tanner Scott with a single up the middle to score Ryan McMahon from second. McMahon led off with a single to right field at the end of a terrific nine-pitch at-bat. McMahon advanced to second when Scott plunked Elias Diaz.
“That was a great win, for sure. We snatched that one back,” manager Bud Black told reporters in Miami.
As of Thursday, the Marlins were 30-17 at home. Now they are 30-19 after getting hammered by the Rockies, 6-1, on Friday night, and then losing again Saturday. The reeling Marlins have lost eight consecutive games since the All-Star break.
Rookie right fielder Nolan Jones resurrected the Rockies with a three-run homer off right-hander JT Chargois in the seventh. He turned on Chargois’ first-pitch slider, sending it 445 feet to right-center. Jones’ homer was his eighth and he’s raised his average to .277 and his OPS to .858.
“He’s got power, for sure,” Black said. “The key to Nolan is just more consistent contact, and he knows that. He’s still working his way through it and he has less than (300) major league at-bats, but he’s holding his own. He’s capable of doing that type of damage.”
Colorado was certainly thrilled to say good riddance to Miami starter Johnny Cueto, who toyed with them. The wiley veteran right-hander limited the Rockies to one run on two hits and struck out eight in his six-plus innings.
“We just couldn’t solve Cueto,” Black said. “We didn’t have many good at-bats against him.”
Prior to the seventh inning, the only hit Cueto allowed was a two-out double to catcher Austin Wynns in the third.
McMahon led off the seventh with a single up the middle and Cueto’s day was done after 81 pitches (58 strikes). Diaz — pinch-hitting for designated hitter Kris Bryant, who left the game after getting hit by a pitch — singled off Chargois. Grichuk followed with another single, and the table was set for Jones.
Right-hander Chase Anderson didn’t match Cueto but he gave the Rockies six quality innings and gave them a chance to win. The Marlins notched three runs off Anderson (one in the second, two in the fifth) on seven hits. Anderson walked just one and struck out six.
“Everything was working,” Anderson told reporters. “I was throwing all of my pitches for strikes.”
After a rough patch where he lost four consecutive starts from June 28 to July 5 with an ugly 18.23 ERA, Anderson has made two quality starts in a row.
“The only difference is executing pitches and not executing pitches,” Anderson said. “When you don’t execute, you get beat. When you do execute, you have a chance for your team to win and I think I have done that the last two starts. My confidence never wavered.”
Closer Justin Lawrence notched his seventh save and lowered his ERA to 2.52.
The Rockies will go after a rare road sweep Sunday afternoon.
Footnotes. First baseman C.J. Cron was a late scratch for Saturday’s game and that led to buzz on Twitter that Cron had been traded. As it turns out, the team announced that Cron was out because of “low back stiffness.” The Rockies called it a precautionary move. Cron missed nearly six weeks of play earlier this season because of an injured back. …. Bryant was hit by a pitch on the index finger of his right hand in the fourth inning and was replaced by Diaz in the seventh. Black said Bryant got X-rays during the game and that they came back negative. Bryant is listed as day-to-day.
Sunday’s pitching matchup
Rockies TBA (bullpen game) at Marlins LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 3.34 ERA)
11:40 a.m. Sunday, loanDepot Park
TV: ATTRM
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Manager Bud Black said Saturday that the Rockies would utilize a bullpen game for the fourth time this season. He did not say who would open the game but two possibilities are left-hander Ty Blach and right-hander Connor Seabold, who was recently taken out of the rotation and moved to the bullpen. Luzardo, just 25, will make his 21st start of the season. He’ll make his fourth career appearance vs. the Rockies (second start). He last faced Colorado on Aug. 7, 2021, at Coors Field when he was hammered for a career-high seven runs on seven hits. He walked four and struck out two. In three career appearances vs. the Rockies, he’s 0-1 with a 10.45 ERA. Luzardo’s 131 strikeouts lead all Miami pitchers and he ranks 13th in the majors.
Pitching probables
Monday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (8-8, 6.18) at Nationals LHP Patrick Corbin (6-10, 4.89), 5:05 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Rockies TBA at Nationals RHP Trevor Williams (5-5, 4.38), 5:05 p.m., ATTRM
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