In a battle between National League cellar-dwellers, two Ryans got the job done for the Rockies.
Colorado beat fellow 1993 expansion franchise Miami, 3-2, in the series opener on Monday at Coors Field, using a strong start by right-hander Ryan Feltner in conjunction with Ryan McMahon’s game-winning homer and a clutch bullpen performance.
“It was one of those total team efforts,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It was a big swing by Mac to give us the lead, and I thought Feltner threw the ball fine in his return (from the injured list).
“He looked good and he turned the ball loose. I was encouraged by his arm speed, his aggressiveness with the fastball as the game went on. He looked healthy, so this is a good sign for him hopefully finishing the season strong.”
The game breezed through the first five innings, with no runs for either team and the Rockies not registering their first hit off right-hander Edward Cabrera until Jake Cave’s leadoff single in the fourth.
But in the fifth, both offenses finally woke up.
The Marlins took a 2-0 lead in the top of the frame. Miami loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, then Jesús Sánchez flared a single to left that scored two runs. The next batter, Feltner induced a double play to get out of the jam.
Colorado responded in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs to even the game. After Sam Hilliard singled and then Jordan Beck’s single pushed Hilliard to third, Hilliard scored on Aaron Schunk’s groundout. Then Cave came through with a two-out single to plate Beck.
Black went to the bullpen for the sixth considering Feltner had just been activated off the injured list from a right shoulder strain that had him sidelined since Aug. 8.
“That was a hard fifth inning,” Black said. “Going into that, his pitch count was great, then he threw close to 30 pitches that inning. That was a good spot to get him out… There’s a number of starts left, so I wanted to make sure his confidence is there with his shoulder.”
Feltner hasn’t earned a win in 21 straight starts since April 17, the longest single-season winless streak by a starting pitcher (non-opener) since Shelby Miller with the Braves in 2015. No doubt also factoring into Black’s decision to pull Feltner was how well teams are faring against the right-hander the third time through the lineup, slashing .317/.362/.533 entering Monday.
“I felt really good, just to be able to let the fastball go a little bit and trust my defense,” Feltner said. “The fastball felt unexpectedly good today (topping out at 97.1 mph), so we decided to throw more of them.”
After Feltner’s exit, the ’pen held up under pressure.
Jake Bird, recalled ahead of the game from Triple-A, pitched a scoreless sixth after working around a leadoff walk. Justin Lawrence took care of the seventh, and Angel Chivilli threw up a zero in the eighth.
It was after Bird’s solid inning that McMahon provided the evening’s decisive swing. The all-star third baseman launched a leadoff homer in the sixth off Cabrera — a 438-foot moonshot to center on an elevated, 96-mph 3-2 changeup.
It was McMahon’s 17th homer this year, but his first since July 30, snapping a 20-game homerless streak. The bomb was also McMahon’s ninth go-ahead homer of the season and 44th of his career. One more, and he ties Trevor Story for the 10th-most go-ahead homers in club history.
“I think it was a changeup (at 95 mph), but I have no idea,” McMahon said. “(Cabrera) was throwing 92- to 97-mph changeups tonight, and it was different than his fastball. But I put a good swing on it and it felt good to help the team out.”
Tyler Kinley then shut the door in the ninth, earning his seventh save of the year by setting down the Marlins in order. That included striking out Griffin Conine, the son of former Marlins all-star Jeff Conine, in Griffin’s MLB debut after he came on to pinch-hit.
“A lot of times when you use four guys out of the bullpen in a one-run game, you’ve got to be flawless, and they were today,” Black said.
The game was played in front of a sparse crowd of 20,338. The Rockies, still on a 100-loss pace, improved to 49-83. Colorado’s now 23-18 in one-run games, tied for the third-most one-run wins in MLB, and is 13-5 in one-run games at Coors Field.
Injury/roster updates. The Rockies were missing two of their best defensive players on Monday, as shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (sports hernia) and center fielder Brenton Doyle (right leg soreness) were given rest days. Doyle was a late scratch from the lineup. Schunk played shortstop in Tovar’s stead, and Hilliard played center field.
“We might give (Doyle) another day or two, but no concerns there,” Black said. “This is something he’s had off-and-on all year, and we’ve managed it. … (And with Tovar), he’s had that. He’s fine and is probably going to play (Tuesday).”
Prior to the game, the Rockies also placed southpaw Lucas Gilbreath on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation and optioned right-hander Peter Lambert to Triple-A. Gilbreath, a Legacy High School alum, appeared in three games this year since coming back from Tommy John surgery and then a shoulder injury that sidelined him for all of 2023.
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Marlins RHP Roddery Munoz (2-7, 5.98 ERA) at Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (8-9, 4.56)
6:40 p.m. Tuesday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
After Quantrill turned in an ugly July with a 7.54 ERA in five starts, his August has been only slightly better, with a 5.02 ERA in three starts. But he’s pitched well overall at Coors Field, with a 3.47 ERA in 10 starts, seven of them quality. The Marlins are only one of two teams he has never faced, along with the Guardians, so unfamiliarity will be on his side. Meanwhile, Munoz hasn’t made it out of the fourth inning in three of his four starts this month, with an 8.22 ERA in those outings. He hasn’t had a quality start since June 13 against the Mets. Only six Rockies players have faced him.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Marlins RHP Max Meyer (3-3, 5.44) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (3-6, 5.70), 6:40 p.m.
Thursday: Marlins RHP Valente Bellozo (2-2, 3.35) at Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (1-0, 3.06), 1:10 p.m.
Friday: Orioles RHP Albert Suarez (6-4, 3.18) at Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (4-9, 4.70), 6:40 p.m.
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