Game Thread: Colorado Rockies come to the ‘burgh as the hot Pirates return home

A day after completing a successful 7-win, 4-loss western road trip, the Pittsburgh Pirates play host to the Colorado Rockies, who send right-hander German Marquez (4-2, 3.80 to the mound, opposed by the Pirates’ Chris Archer (1-3, 5.58)

The Rockies, with a 20-25 record, have lost four games in a row.

Marquez, in his third full season with the Rockies, struck out 230 batters in 196 innings last year and so far this year has K’d 9.1 batters per 9 innings while walking only 1.7. He’s throws a four-seam fastball that averages 95.5 mph along with a curve and slider.

So far this year Marquez has shown a slightly reverse split, allowing a .709 OPS to right-handed batters and .665 to left-handers, but has walked only 3 of 136 righties.

Marquez has allowed ten hits in each of his last two starts, totaling twelve innings, and has allowed four or more runs in three of his last four starts, as his ERA has risen from 2.54 to 3.80.

Unfortunately Chris Archer has been on a worse slide. After opening the season with a 2.74 ERA in his first four starts, in each of his last two (one just before going on the injured list and one just after returning) Archer allowed six earned run, ballooning his ERA to 5.58. Thne Pirates have been victorious in just on of Archer’s six appearances. Hopefully he can respond just as Jordan Lyles and Joe Musgrove did to consecutive poor starts, when they each reeled of a pair of dominant games.

Gregory Polanco was a late scratch from the starting lineup, with Melky Cabrera manning right field and Bryan Reynolds sliding up to the three-spot in the batting order, playing left. Francisco Cervelli returns to the lineup at catcher.

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ROCKIES

1 L Charlie Blackmon RF

2 R Trevor Story SS

3 L David Dahl LF

4 R Nolan Arenado 3B

5 L Ryan McMahon 2B

6 L Daniel Murphy 1B

7 R Ian Desmond CF

8 L Tony Wolters C

9 R German Marquez RHP

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PIRATES

1 L Adam Frazier 2B

2 R Starling Marte CF

3 S Bryan Reynolds LF

4 S Josh Bell 1B

5 S Melky Cabrera RF

7 L Colin Moran 3B

7 R Francisco Cervelli

8 S Cole Tucker SS

9 R Chris Archer RHP