Colorado Rockies game no. 97 thread: Germán Márquez vs. José Quintana

Rise and shine, Rockies fans! Grab your coffee because it’s a busy day around Major League Baseball! Luckily, though, things get started early.

Bad news: The Colorado Rockies will look to avoid the sweep today against the New York Mets.

The Rox are 63-33 so far this season, marking the most losses by the team before the All-Star break in franchise history. They are 20-21 against teams with winning percentages at or above .500 this season, and 13-42 vs. teams under .500 on the date of the match. The Mets are 49-45.

Good news: Germán Márquez is officially making his first MLB start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April.

Márquez enters today’s start still needing just three strikeouts to pass Jorge De La Rose (983) for the most strikeouts in franchise history. He also ranks third in franchise history with 65 wins — one ahead of Jeff Francis and still trailing Aaron Cook (72) and De La Rosa (86). His career 4.41 ERA ranks fourth in franchise history (min. 100 starts), trailing Ubaldo Jiménez (3.66), Jhoulys Chacín (4.05) and De La Rosa (4.35).

Márquez will face Mets’ veteran lefty José Quintana (4-5, 3.91 ERA). Quintana is in his second year with the Mets after signing as a free agent in December 2022. However, he fractured a rib in late-March and did not pitch until the second half of 2023. In 18 starts in 2024, Quintana has a 4-5 record and 3.91 ERA. In his last outing against the Washington Nationals, he threw seven shutout innings while allowing just one hit while striking out five, issuing one walk and hitting another batter. In fact, Quintana has not allowed more than three runs in a start since June 9, and has only allowed more than four three times (season-high eight on May 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays). Quintana has faced the Rockies nine times and holds a 3-3 record and 5.09 ERA.

Can the return of Germán Márquez provide a much-needed boost for the Rockies heading into the All-Star break?

First Pitch: 11:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.tv

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

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