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Big blasts power Marquez to first career win

By Ben Weinrib and Owen Perkins / MLB.com | 1:19 AM ET

DENVER -- German Marquez was exceptional in his first Major League start, and Nolan Arenado's grand slam powered

the Rockies past the Cardinals, 11-1, at Coors Field on Wednesday. The loss kept the Cardinals tied with the Giants and

Mets for the two National League Wild Card spots.

Marquez baffled the Cardinals over five frames, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked one, with

the only damage coming on Kolten Wong's second-inning sacrifice fly. Marquez was especially effective when he kept

the ball low; he recorded six groundouts and two flyouts.

I was mixing my fastball in and outside," Marquez said. "I was getting down my curveball for strikeouts and [putting] the

hitters away. I was very confident. I need to work on my changeup. I need to throw it like a fastball."

Most of the Rockies' offense came early, as they chased Cardinals starter Luke Weaver after two innings. DJ

LeMahieu drove in Charlie Blackmon on a first-inning sacrifice fly, and Arenado broke open the game with his first slam

of the season one frame later.

"It was a fastball in," Weaver said. "A lot of the fastballs were moving. I definitely needed that two-seam to move in, and it

was the only fastball that stayed straight. It's very frustrating, because I'm trying to throw a pitch to get in there, and for it

to flatten out at such a big moment is disappointing."

Reliever Jaime Garcia stymied the Rockies for four innings, but Colorado added five more runs upon his exit on

LeMahieu's double, Gerardo Parra's single and Tom Murphy's three-run homer in the seventh.

MEDIA CLIPS – September 22, 2016

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MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Bases-loaded blasts: Arenado's grand slam was the Rockies' seventh of the season, which tied them with the Nationals

for the most in baseball. Overall, the club is batting .325 (39-for-120) with the bases loaded this season, which is second

behind only the Reds (34-for-100, .340).

"I feel like we've played overall very good offense all year," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Situationally, you're

talking about a chance to have a big inning. Nolan gave us that with one swing. He turned it into a big inning. I feel like

offensively, we've handled those innings well."

One is the loneliest number: The Cardinals defined "scattered" Wednesday, as they tallied eight hits. Only once did they

put two hits together in one inning, when Jeremy Hazelbaker led off the second with a double to left and Weaver singled

to right later in the frame.

"He didn't give us a lot of opportunities," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Marquez. "We kind of created one

early. He did a nice job of shutting it down. Good stuff. Good movement. Good life."

Young gun: Marquez became the second-youngest pitcher in Rockies history to earn a win, at 21 years and 212 days.

Right-hander Jamey Wright remains the youngest pitcher to win a game (21 years and 206 days), when he beat the

Giants on July 17, 1996. Marquez impressed the coaching staff, and he is in line to start two more games before the end

of the season.

"He has shown a feel for pitching out there at a very young age," Weiss said. "He commanded the fastball. Not only does

it have a lot of life, but he's clipping corners with that thing. When you're doing that at that velocity, it's tough to handle. He

had it all working."

Missed opportunity sets up slam: The Cardinals had a chance to get out of the second before it came apart. With

runners on first and second, one out, and one run already in, LeMahieu flied to center. Randal Grichuk caught the ball

and relayed to second baseman Wong, who had a good shot at doubling Blackmon off of first. Wong's throw was errant,

putting runners on second and third. A walk to Carlos Gonzalez loaded the bases for Arenado.

"It took about 13 hitters to get six runs together," Matheny said. "They made the most of it. We were real close to getting it

out of it, too. That nice play Grich made going into the outfield, if we can turn that double play, we don't see the bases

loaded right there with Arenado up."

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QUOTABLE

"I've got to give Blackmon, DJ and CarGo a lot of props for my runs. Probably mostly DJ and Charlie, because I hit third

sometimes, but those guys are getting on base for me at a really high rate. I'm really thankful to have those guys on my

team. … This team has set me up to have success. I feel like I'm always hitting with a man on third or second with less

than two outs. It's just been great. The credit goes to them for sure." -- Arenado

"They came out firing. I was down in the zone a little bit. Balls were running back middle. I had a hard time controlling the

movement on the fastball. They did a good job in different counts looking for offspeed. Obviously a disappointing start, but

I just got to learn from it." -- Weaver, on his season-low two-inning outing

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Jordan Patterson singled to center to lead off the five run rally in the second. It was his first Major League hit, making

him the ninth Rockies player this season to do so, tying a franchise record.

PREGAME STANDOFF

Rockies pitcher Carlos Estevez and Cardinals outfielder Jose Martinez stayed on the field long after the national anthem

was over, still holding their hats over their hearts and remaining in the same pose. The umpires eventually told the rookies

to return to the dugout and Estevez moved first, so Martinez celebrated the "win" with his teammates.

"I was next to [Jason] Motte and [Jake] McGee," Estevez said. "They were like, 'OK, we're gone.' I was like 'Yeah,' and

they said, 'No, you stay.' OK, I'm going to stay. I saw it took a little bit longer, and it's getting real. I've got to stay now."

The event had a taste of rookie hazing to it, and the hazing continued after the game, when a handful of Cardinals rookies

dressed in a variety of costumes -- including the caped crusader's sidekick, Robin. Martinez paid his dues before the

game.

"The umpire asked me why I did that," Martinez said. "When you're a rookie, and a veteran asks you to stand up there, I

will stand up there. [Catcher Brayan] Pena said, 'Stand out there and don't move.' He's a veteran, and when a veteran

tells you what to do, as a rookie, you have to listen to him. I was acting like I wasn't listening [to the umpire]. It's a game.

The most important thing is to have fun. And to win. It's a win for us."

WHAT'S NEXT

Cardinals: Right-hander Mike Leake (9-10, 4.54 ERA) climbs the hill to face the Cubs in the series opener Friday at 1:20

p.m. CT. Chicago has clinched the division, but it's a crucial series for the Cardinals, as they are in a tight Wild Card race

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with the Mets and Giants. Leake is winless in three starts against the Cubs this season, pitching six innings of three-run

ball the last time he faced them. He is looking for his first win in his fourth start since returning from the disabled list.

Rockies: Right-hander Tyler Chatwood (11-9, 4.13 ERA) gets the call for the Rockies' first game of a four-game set

against the Dodgers at 8:10 p.m. MT on Thursday. Chatwood had one of his best outings of the year in Los Angeles on

June 6, when he limited the Dodgers to one run on one hit over eight innings. However, he has given up at least six runs

in three of his past four starts.

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RBI-leader Arenado's slam catalyzes Rockies Third baseman needs two runs batted in to match career high from 2015 By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | September 21st, 2016

DENVER -- Even if his name doesn't appear high on voters' lists for the National League Most Valuable Player Award,

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is happy to just keep contributing for his team.

Wednesday was no exception, as he led the way offensively in the Rockies' 11-1 win over the Cardinals with a grand

slam in a 2-for-3 afternoon at Coors Field.

Arenado's Statcast-projected 424-foot shot in the second was key for the Rockies, as it gave them the lead after the

Cardinals tied the game in the top of the inning.

"It felt good," Arenado said. "You walk [Carlos Gonzalez] on four pitches, and I was just ready to hit. I was like, 'First

pitch, he might throw a fastball to try to get ahead here.' I was just ready to hit. He threw it middle-in, and I just put a good

swing on it. I think he missed his spot, and I was able to take advantage of it."

Those four RBIs bring Arenado's season total to 128, which leads the Majors. Last season he led the National League

with 130 RBIs -- 20 more than second-place Paul Goldschmidt drove in -- yet Arenado was eighth in NL MVP voting with

no first- or second-place votes.

"At the end of the day, it feels like the MVP every year is on a winning team," said Arenado, whose Rockies finished last in

their division at 68-94. "You've got to win ballgames, I feel like, to get that trophy, unless you have a spectacular year like

Bryce Harper last year, which is a unique year. I'm just happy I'm staying consistent.

"My thing is after last year, a lot of people were questioning if I could do it again. I'm happy I'm able to put those questions

to rest by having another good year. I'm just focused on helping the team win, and good things are happening."

Arenado is three homers shy of his career high of 42 with 10 games to go, but he already set a career high with 111 runs,

and his .294 average is seven points higher than his previous best.

"The home runs would be great to eclipse, but that's hard to do, so I'm not too worried about the home runs, but the RBIs

is something I really want to beat," Arenado said. "I know I'm pretty close, but either way, it's hard. Whatever I do the rest

of the year, I'll be happy. I definitely want to drive in more runs."

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Cole OK, but sits after being hit during BP Batted ball richocheted off another before striking Rockies' third-base coach

By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | September 21st, 2016

DENVER -- Rockies third-base coach Stu Cole was taken to the hospital after being struck in the head by a ball while

throwing batting practice prior to Tuesday night's10-5 loss to the Cardinals. Tests were negative, and Cole returned to

Coors Field before the end of the game and met with the other coaches.

Infielder Cristhian Adames was fielding ground balls and tossed one in, but that ball ricocheted off a batted ball and hit

Cole. Cole rejoined the team Wednesday, but he will not resume coaching until Thursday's game in Los Angeles.

"We've got doctor's orders that Stu has to sit down one more day. We're going to put a double-ear-flapped helmet on him

and put him in the corner over there and make fun of him," Rockies manager Walt Weiss joked. "He's doing well. I

wouldn't be making fun of him if he wasn't doing well."

In Cole's absence, first-base coach Eric Young moved to third base, while special assistant Vinny Castilla served as the

first-base coach for Tuesday and Wednesday's games.

"I've seen two balls collide in the air on a few occasions, but I've never seen somebody get hit by one of them," Weiss

said. "I don't think I'll ever see that again. He got hit pretty hard, so he got his bell rung for sure. We want to keep him off

his feet ... but everything checked out all right."

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Rockies head to LA as Chatwood gets call

By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com | September 21st, 2016

Brett Anderson and the Dodgers look to inch closer to a fourth straight National League West title as they take on Tyler

Chatwood and the Rockies on Thursday.

Anderson will be making his third start of the season and his second since Aug. 20, after which he spent time of the 15-

day disabled list with a left index finger blister. He only lasted a combined four innings in his two starts, giving up 11 runs

on 14 hits with one strikeout, three walks, and three homers.

Chatwood has been excellent on the road this season -- his 1.77 road ERA paces qualifying Major League pitchers by

more than 30 points. He had one of his best starts of the season at Dodger Stadium on June 6, when he limited Los

Angeles to one run over eight one-hit innings. However, Chatwood has struggled of late, with at least six runs given up in

three of his past four starts.

Entering Wednesday, the Dodgers have a five-game lead over the Giants in the NL West with 10 games remaining in the

regular season. Los Angeles' last three games are in San Francisco.

Three things to know about this game

• Second baseman Chase Utley (3-for-12) and third baseman Justin Turner (2-for-10) have struggled against Chatwood,

but no Dodgers batter has faced him more than Adrian Gonzalez, who is 6-for-22 (.273) with a homer and three walks.

• Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu extended his franchise record on-base streak to 37 games on Wednesday. The

streak has helped raise his batting average to a Major League-leading .351.

• Colorado center fielder Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Wednesday. He joins Houston's

Jose Altuve (five) and the Boston's Dustin Pedroia (six) as the only players in the Majors to have five or more hitting

streaks of 10 or more games.

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Cardinals, Rockies battle it out in the form of a pregame standoff By Gemma Kaneko, Ben Weinrib and Owen Perkins / MLB.com | September 21st, 2016 Before Wednesday's Cardinals-Rockies game had even begun, St. Louis had already tallied a win. Well, when it comes to

anthem standoffs, anyway. Perhaps inspired by the Brewers and Reds last week, or, you know, any anthem standoff in

the past decade, the Rockies' Carlos Estevez and the Cardinals' Jose Martinez heard the song end … and then they just

kept standing there.

Estevez had plenty of support from his teammates. Boone Logan even fitted him with a catcher's mask, probably so he'd

be protected from stray balls in case he was still on the field when the game started. Or maybe there was another reason.

"I was laughing, so it was a good thing I had the mask," said Estevez. "Because I was supposed to stay serious about it."

Don't worry, the rest of the Cardinals weren't about to leave Martinez out to dry -- they did quite literally the opposite:

The standoff went on so long that umpire Jim Joyce even tried to get Walt Weiss and Mike Matheny to intervene. But

there was no need -- eventually Martinez was victorious:

"The umpire asked my why I did that," Martinez said. "Pena said stand out there and don't move. He's a veteran, and

when a veteran tells you what to do, as a rookie, you have to listen to him. I was acting like I wasn't listening [to the

umpire]. It's a game. The most important thing is to have fun. And to win. It's a win for us."

But there was a little strategy behind Estevez's concession. He lost the battle, you might say, only to win the war. Turns

out, the Rockies defeated the Cardinals, 11-1.

"Walt told me they were going they were going to kick me out of the game," Estevez said. "We'd have one less bullpen

guy, and they only got a pinch hitter. If they kick him out, they'll have some more, but this [was] not the case [for us]."

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German Marquez picks up victory in first start as Rockies down Cardinals Marquez flashed the talent that made him Eastern League pitcher of the year this season By Nick Kosmider / The Denver Post | September 21st, 2016

German Marquez’s first taste of the major leagues came two weeks ago on a cool day in San Diego, when he entered the

game on the wrong end of a blowout and was promptly shelled.

The Rockies, however, knew their first true look at the 21-year-old right-hander wouldn’t come until they plugged him into

his natural spot as a starter. They did so Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field against the playoff-chasing St. Louis

Cardinals.

Colorado discovered it just might have another promising rotation candidate for 2017.

Marquez flashed the talent that made him the Eastern League pitcher of the year this season in an 11-1 victory. He

received all the support he needed from Nolan Arenado’s grand slam.

Marquez used a diverse array of pitches that included a four-seam fastball, a cutter, a curveball and a changeup. He

effectively mixed speed and location and worked with good pace. He surrendered only one run on four hits in five innings,

striking out three, walking one and hitting two batters.

“He was really impressive,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “It was easy velocity, very effortless. He commanded the

ball and had a very good curveball and great poise.”

Marquez’s four-seam fastball hovered from 94-96 mph, and he found success with a looping curveball that bottomed out

around 76 mph. Throw in an 83 mph changeup, and Marquez gave the Cardinals plenty to think about.

The only damage against Marquez came in the second inning, on a sacrifice fly from Kolten Wong that scored Jeremy

Hazelbaker, who had doubled. Marquez didn’t allow any runner past second base after that.

“I was mixing my fastball and getting my curveball down for strikes,” Marquez said. “I was putting hitters away. It felt

wonderful, man. I was excited.”

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The Rockies gave their young starter plenty of cushion. DJ LeMahieu drove in Charlie Blackmon with a sacrifice fly in the

first inning. In the second, after Blackmon singled in Daniel Descalso, Gonzalez drew a two-out walk to load the bases.

Arenado crushed a first-pitch fastball from Luke Weaver 424 feet into the left-field bleachers.

The grand slam, the fourth of his career, extended Arenado’s National League leads in home runs (39) and RBIs (128).

Arenado heads into the Rockies’ final road trip with a chance to eclipse his career-high totals of 42 home runs and 130

RBIs, which he set last season.

“I’m just happy that I’m staying consistent,” Arenado said. “After last year, a lot of people were questioning if I could do it

again. I’m happy I’m able to put those questions to rest by having another good year. I’m just focused on helping the team

win and good things are happening.”

LeMahieu went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, extending his career-best on-base streak to 37 consecutive games.

He also raised his NL-leading batting average to .351, four points ahead of the Washington Nationals’ Daniel Murphy,

whose team played Wednesday night. Blackmon had three hits and scored three runs.

Rockies catcher Tom Murphy hit a three-run homer in the seventh, his fifth since being called up by the Rockies on Sept.

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Chris Rusin, who has been the Rockies’ best reliever over the past month, struck out five during two scoreless innings of

relief. The left-hander has not surrendered a run since Aug. 24.

The loss was a damaging one for the Cardinals, who entered the day in a three-way tie for the top NL wild-card spot with

the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.

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Carlos Estevez, Jose Martinez start Rockies game with classic standoff By Jeff Bailey / The Denver Post | September 22nd, 2016

We have more national anthem controversy on our hands, this time it was lighthearted. This controversy involved Rockies

right-hander Carlos Estevez and St. Louis Cardinals starter Jose Martinez who competed in a post anthem standoff. After

the anthem was finished playing, both men stayed out standing on their respective baselines in a game of chicken. Who’s

going to leave first.

Martinez got an assist from catcher Yadier Molina who came out to wipe the sweat off his forehead and fanned him down

with a towel. Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz also came to the rescue of Martinez and dusted off his spikes during the

ordeal.

The Rockies wouldn’t be outdone and safety first was their motto. Estevez was given a catchers mask to wear so he

would be protected from foul balls near the first base coaching box. Rockies shortstop Cristhian Adames also assisted

Esteves and sprayed him down with sunscreen, indicating he was in for the long haul.

Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild was taken back after indicating to both players it was time to play ball. Umpire crew

chief Jim Joyce ended up stepping in before a pitch was thrown and ordered both managers to have the players return to

their respective dugouts so the game could start. The Rockies ended up dropping another one as the Cardinals won the

national anthem standoff.

This isn’t the first time a post national anthem standoff has happened. Most famously was the standoff between former

Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Scott Val Slyke. This was an epic standoff that occurred

during the 2013 National League Championship Series.

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Tom Murphy slugging homers for Rockies, but also maturing behind the plate By Patrick Saunders / The Denver Post | September 22nd, 2016 Catcher Tom Murphy’s raw power is impossible to ignore, but it’s his more subtle skills behind the plate that have caught

the Rockies’ attention.

The rookie shined Saturday night when rookie right-hander Jon Gray struck out a franchise-record 16 batters in a

complete-game, four-hit shutout. Wednesday afternoon, Murphy called the game for right-hander German Marquez, who

was making his first major-league start. Marquez, 21, allowed one run on four hits over five innings to notch his first win as

Colorado routed St. Louis 11-1.

“The last two games behind the plate have been very, very good for Murph,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We’ve seen

some good things from him. Not only in catching a very good pitching performance, but thinking along with the pitcher,

receiving the ball and blocking the ball. He’s an impressive kid, and physically, he certainly passes the eye test back

there.”

In 29 at-bat since his call-up from Triple-A on Sept. 2, Murphy has slugged five home runs, including a three-run homer in

the seventh inning Wednesday. He hit three homers in 35 at-bats in his September cameo a year ago.

But it’s his work behind the plate, and his connection to the pitchers that has been Murphy’s primary focus. He said he’s

making strides.

“Without a doubt,” Murphy said. “Just having one more year of experience with these guys goes a long ways. I feel more

confident.”

Standoff. The game’s first pitch was delayed a few minutes by a good-natured standoff following the national anthem. As

players filed into their respective dugouts or to their positions in the field, Rockies rookie reliever Carlos Estevez and

Cardinals outfielder Jose Martinez were left to a game of “Who would blink first.”

“It was taking a little longer and I said, ‘OK, this is it. I’ve got to stay now,’ ” said Estevez, who credited the catcher’s mask

he wore for disguising his laughter during the standoff.

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Ultimately, Weiss called Estevez off after a warning of ejections from home-plate umpire Chad Fairchild. That left Martinez

strutting back into the Cardinals’ dugout to much celebration.

“It was fun,” Estevez said. “I was laughing. Good thing I had the mask because I was supposed to stay serious.”

Footnotes. Nolan Arenado’s grand slam in the second inning was the Rockies’ seventh of the season, one shy of the

franchise record set in 2007 and 2012. Their seven slams are tied for the most in the majors this season. … Marquez

became the second-youngest player (21 years, 212 days) in Rockies history to record his first win. The youngest was

Jamey Wright (21 years, 206 days) on July 17, 1996 vs. San Francisco. … Left fielder Jordan Patterson got his first start

and his first hit with a single to center in the second inning. He became the ninth Rockies player this season to record a

first hit, which is tied for the franchise record.

Looking ahead

Rockies RHP Tyler Chatwood (11-9, 4.13 ERA) at Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson (0-2, 24.75), 8:10 p.m. Thursday, ROOT,

850 AM.

Anderson, who made eight starts for the Rockies in 2014 before he was injured, has been hurt for most of his two

seasons with the Dodgers. He missed four months this season after undergoing back surgery, then came off the disabled

list for two starts, then went back on the DL because of a blister on a finger of his left hand. It’s an important start for

Anderson, who’s out to prove he can be part of Los Angeles’ postseason rotation. In his two starts this season, he has

been charged with 11 runs across four innings, hence the 24.75 ERA. Chatwood hopes to rebound from a bad outing at

Coors Field. He’s likely to do so, considering that he’s 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 11 road starts this season. The right-hander

is 3-2 with a 1.36 ERA in six career starts at Dodger Stadium.

Friday: Rockies RHP Jon Gray (10-8, 4.42 ERA) at Dodgers RHP Jose De Leon (2-0, 5.52), 8:10 p.m. ROOT

Saturday: Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (13-7, 4.79) at Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (11-3, 1.73), 7:10 p.m., ROOT

Sunday: Rockies LHP Tyler Anderson (5-6, 3.58) at Dodgers LHP Rich Hill (12-5, 2.05), 2:10 p.m., ROOT

Monday: Off

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Colorado Rockies blow out St. Louis Cardinals in Marquez’s first major-league start The Rockies’ offense exploded early and late. By Ryan Schoppe / Purple Row | September 21, 2016

The Colorado Rockies avoided a sweep at the hand of the St. Louis Cardinals behind two five-run innings and a strong

Germán Márquez start.

Márquez continued the season-long year of the rookie for the Rockies in his first major-league start. Working with a

reduced pitch count, since it had been 18 days since his last start, Marquez still pitched five solid innings, throwing 82

pitches and 50 strikes. Márquez was as promised, showing a dancing fastball that varied between the low and mid 90s,

and a strong curveball that devastated the Cardinals hitters when he was able to set it up with his fastball command.

Márquez will still be a rookie next year, along with Jeff Hoffman and Raimel Tapia. An “year of the rookie encore” might be

in order.

Two hit by pitches were the biggest blemish on Márquez’s line, as he allowed only four hits, a walk, and one earned run.

Both hit by pitches were on curveballs that appeared to have slipped from his grip.

The Rockies scored a run in the first inning due to a two-base error by Luke Weaver, who tried to pick Charlie Blackmon

off first base. The Cardinals tied it up in the top of the second after a lead-off bloop double down the left-field line.

In the bottom of the second, the Rockies gave the pitching staff all the support they would need. With one run already

scored on a Blackmon RBI single, the Cardinals pitched around Carlos González to load the bases for Nolan Arenado,

who hit the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for a grand slam and a 6-1 Rockies lead. It was the seventh Rockies

grand slam of the season.

The Rockies scored five runs in the eighth inning as well, with the highlight being a three-run Tom Murphy homer. Murphy

has kept his hot streak going since his September call-up

Chris Rusin and Jordan Lyles combined to strike out eight batters in three innings of scoreless relief before Matt Carasiti

pitched a scoreless ninth and ended the game with a nice defensive play of his own.

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Notes:

The Hartford Yard Goats had six players named to the Easter League All-Star game this year. Five of those players,

Ramiel Tapia, David Dahl, Carasiti, Marquez and Pat Valaika all made appearances for the Rockies today. Dillon

Thomas, who is not on the Rockies 40-man roster, was the only Yard Goat All-Star missing.

At 21 years 212 days, Germán Márquez was the third youngest Rockies pitcher to make a start in franchise history.

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One last ‘Hip, Hip Jorge’ for Rockies’ De La Rosa Jorge De La Rosa may have ended his Rockies career last night and finished his story as the most underappreciated player this team has ever had. By Connor Farrell / Purple Row | September 21, 2016

Last night, in front of 28,665 people, Jorge De La Rosa appeared to close the book on his Rockies career. The lefty

struggled in the game, going only 4.2 innings and giving up seven earned runs in an unfitting end to the man they’ve

called The King of Coors.

De La Rosa was never a star. He was never the guy you tell your friends about when they ask about the Rockies; he was

never the draw when you turned on the game. But, he never had to be. He was never supposed to be.

Through 9 seasons, Jorge started 200 games for the Rockies, logging more than 1,100 innings and striking out nearly

1,000 batters. Jorge was never flashy nor was he ever an All-Star, but he was consistent. In nearly every single Rockies

season that he pitched in, he was exactly what the club needed.

What Jorge means to the Rockies, and what Jorge means to the fans that have watched the majority of those 1,100

innings and 985 strikeouts, is likely to be understated by just about everyone now that he’s gone. The 35-year-old left-

hander quietly became the greatest starting pitcher in team history with his consistency and his outstanding ability to

manage Coors through even the warmest, rowdiest, run explosion games. Now, that’s just a memory, it’s past tense.

Consistency becomes the totem of life. People complain about the monotony of traffic, the drone of their desk job, the

home life that never changes. But without it, we collapse. People are not meant to live with the stress of new, changing

adventures every day. We are creatures of habit, and we need these things to survive so that when things get tough, we

know there’s something to hold onto—something that will remain the same.

My friend once told me a story about how he deals with life when it becomes too much. He goes to Wendy’s, he orders

one cheeseburger, and he eats it. It doesn’t matter if he’s hungry; he’s not eating the burger to get a meal. It’s because he

knows that no matter what life throws at him, no matter how weird and unpredictable it can be sometimes, that Wendy’s

cheeseburger is going to taste the same. The lettuce, the mayonnaise, the grease from the fryer, it’s always the same.

The cheeseburger is stability and knowledge in the face of chaos.

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Perhaps that was Jorge’s greatest legacy. Apart from some bad Aprils and the eventual decline with age, Jorge offered

this team and the fans a Wendy’s cheeseburger. In those moments where the season started to unravel, when injuries

and inconsistent play doomed yet another Rockies season, Jorge offered sanity. He offered six innings, two runs, and five

strikeouts. He offered a chance for a happy night when nobody else would. Now, those are memories; they are past

tense.

He had to go, that’s not the debate. The Rockies are building a new, younger, higher-powered rotation, and Jorge doesn’t

fit anymore. He’s 35, he’s declining, and it’s time to move on.

But that doesn’t make this easier. We can pretend like this doesn’t bother us emotionally, the same way we pretend a girl

not texting us back after a few dates isn’t a big deal or how we pretend we don’t think about our worst fights with our

parents for years as we try to sleep. For nine years, we knew we had Jorge and now we don’t anymore. That means

something.

In 2009, with arguably the greatest team in franchise history, Jorge turned in one of the best years of his career: a 16-9

season with 193 strikeouts in 185 innings. One year after being acquired from the Kansas City Royals for Ramon

Ramirez, De La Rosa was a rock in the middle of a very good rotation on a very good team. Only Ubaldo Jimenez had a

better FIP but not even the flame thrower himself had a better K/9. De La Rosa’s impact on the last good Rockies team

was never as high as Troy Tulowitzki’s or CarGo’s but it was important nonetheless.

2013 may be even more important, though the Rockies were terrible as the season caved to injuries and lack of

consistency behind the top two starters in the rotation, Jorge was again the totem. De La Rosa was the consistency in one

of the wildest, most up and down seasons in team history. He turned in his best season just two years after Tommy John.

A 3.49 ERA, a 128 ERA+, only 170 hits in 714 batters faced. If fortunes had turned and the Rockies had constructed more

depth on their roster, maybe that 2013 team would’ve made the playoffs. Maybe we’d be talking about Jorge more

glowingly.

But baseball isn’t fair, life isn’t fair, and Jorge probably knows that more than anyone. The Rockies should’ve won more

with Jorge—they should’ve won more with a lot of their players—but the fact they didn’t win more is maybe why Jorge’s

time isn’t as well regarded in some circles as it is in this post.

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But we can’t throw out Jorge’s legacy, and we can’t throw out what he really meant to us because of our frustrations with

rosters that didn’t live up to their billing. Some will celebrate his departure. Some will feel nothing if they see him wear

another team’s cap.

To them, Jorge’s just another player. Another pitcher in a long line that they saw struggle at least once from their seats on

a Sunday. But to some of us—to me—Jorge’s a lighthouse in a monsoon. When I was fed up with the Rockies and vowed

to never watch them again, Jorge reminded me why I still tuned in. Jorge reminded me that through all of the complaints

and the heartbreak, Ilike this team.

Barring an unlikely chain of events, Jorge’s done with the Rockies now; he’s past tense. But we shouldn’t forget what he

did for us. Our totem, our morning drive, our fast food hamburger. Jorge was consistency, something we all wish to

represent.

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German Marquez Makes Big Impact in First Colorado Start By Kevin Henry / Rox Pile | September 21, 2016

The Colorado Rockies finally figured out how to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in Denver. It just took giving a rookie pitcher

his first Major League start.

German Marquez spun five masterful innings in his first outing as a Rockies starter as Colorado avoided a sweep at the

hands of the Cardinals with an 11-1 decision. The win gave Colorado two wins in six outings against the Redbirds this

season and snapped a four-game skid against St. Louis.

For the 21-year-old right-hander, his first start came in his fourth big league appearance since making his debut on

September 8. He made sure it was worth the wait for Colorado fans.

Marquez allowed just one run over five innings, scattering four hits. He also struck out three and walked just one in his 82-

pitch performance.

Nolan Arenado would give his rookie teammate all the runs he would need in the second inning, launching a grand slam

off St. Louis starter Luke Weaver (a fellow rookie). It was Arenado’s 39th homer of the season and highlighted a five-run

second-inning explosion for the Rockies.

But on Wednesday, the focus was clearly on Marquez and his solid start. Marquez recorded his first Major League win

and became the second-youngest player (21 years, 212 days) in Rockies history to record his first Major League win.

Only Jamey Wright (21 years, 206 days on July 17, 1996 against San Francisco) was earlier.

Thinking back to when Marquez was almost considered a throw-in player as part of the trade that also brought Jake

McGee to Denver and sent Corey Dickerson to Tampa Bay, it’s hard to imagine the harvest the Rockies could potentially

reap in years ahead. At the time, it was labeled as “the Corey Dickerson trade.” With days like today, it could easily be

renamed “the German Marquez trade.”

“He didn’t give us a lot of opportunities,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Marquez after the game. “We kind of

created one early. He did a nice job of shutting it down. Good stuff. Good movement. Good life.”

And seemingly plenty of good things ahead for Marquez and a young, talented Colorado Rockies pitching staff as well.

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Colorado Rockies: Los Angeles Dodgers Series Preview By Tyler Bellis / Rox Pile | September 22, 2016

As the Colorado Rockies finished their series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a win, the Rockies get ready to head out

west to Dodger Stadium for an important four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers headed into Wednesday holding first place in the National League West by 5 games. They want as much

breathing room as possible as we start to wind down the last few weeks of the season. Here are some things to look for

as the Rockies begin their final two road series of the season.

Rockies superstars look to hold their first place positioning in leading individual statistics categories

Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu are both on the brink of finishing the season atop statistical categories for batting

average, home runs and RBI. LeMahieu has a small lead in batting average over Washington Nationals second

baseman Daniel Murphy. This average is well above the American leader Jose Altuve. Arenado has a slim lead in

homers over Kris Bryant in the National League, but is trailing quite a few batters in the American League for tops in all

of Major League Baseball.

Arenado may not be leading baseball in home runs. However, as of now, he does have the major league lead in RBI. This

series could pose as a big one for statistics alone, trying to capture first place glory in their respective categories.

The Rockies can actually be close to finishing the season at .500

If the Rockies can win two games in this series, it will give them the most wins they’ve had in a season since 2010.

Getting to .500 seems nearly impossible as they would have to finish the season at 8-2. However, there’s still a chance.

This is the perfect opportunity for young guys to step up and play the role of spoiler for playoff contenders and get their

names recognized so managers have a good taste in their mouth as Spring Training 2017 comes up.

The field will be full of unfamiliar faces

As you have noticed this past month, the Rockies are putting a lot of players into games late that you may not know that

well. New faces such as Jordan Patterson, Stephen Cardullo, Raimel Tapia, Pat Valaika and Tom Murphy may see a

decent amount of field time. This is a good opportunity to evaluate players at a big league level against teams that are

competing for playoff spots to see what kind of game they can bring to the team come 2017.

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Starting pitchers only have a few more chances to show management why they should be in the rotation come

April

We all saw the masterpiece that Jon Gray put together and we all know he is the guy the Rockies will look to a lot next

year. However, there are still question marks on who else will get starting nods … and where in the rotation they will be

placed. This is a good opportunity for Tyler Chatwood, Tyler Anderson, Chad Bettis and German Marquez (acquired

in the Corey Dickerson trade) to put together quality starts. Marquez put together a nice first start against the Cardinals,

and should get at least one more chance to pitch before next season.

Even though the Rockies are more than likely eliminated from playoff contention, there is still a lot to be excited for as the

Rockies visit Dodger Stadium. I expect a fun and hard-fought games and can very much see us at least splitting the series

in L.A. Hopefully the Rockies can ride some momentum from their series finale win against St. Louis into a weekend

series sweep of the Dodgers.

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Jorge De La Rosa’s sendoff not so rosy By Casey Light / Mile High Sports | September 21, 2016

Jorge De La Rosa may have pitched his last game at Coors Field and things certainly weren’t rosy for the Colorado

Rockies’ all-time leader in wins and strikeouts. De La Rosa owns 86 wins in a Rockies uniform, but No. 87 will remain on

the shelf as the club enters the home stretch of the season officially out of contention and De La Rosa heads towards an

offseason of uncertainty.

The left-hander becomes a free agent at the end of the season and Walt Weiss announced that yesterday’s start would be

his last of the year as the Rockies try and evaluate younger talent. De La Rosa took the loss and did not survive the fifth

inning in what very likely could be his last in purple pinstripes. It was a tough ending for a tough character – one who was

often the lone bright spot in a rotation mired for years in mediocrity (or worse).

With a stable of young arms the franchise is eager to trot out, it seems the run for De La Rosa has reached the finish line.

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Marquez makes history, Rox beat Cards 11-1 By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | September 21, 2016

DENVER — German Marquez became the second youngest pitcher in franchise history to record a win and the Colorado

Rockies provided a ton of offensive fireworks in an 11-1 victory over the postseason-hopeful St. Louis Cardinals.

Jamey Wright earned a win when he was 21 years, 206 days old on July 17, 1996, vs. the San Francisco Giants. Marquez

is 21 years, 212 days old today, just six days too young to claim the record.

He’s the third oldest Rockie to start a game, behind Wright and Franklin Morales.

The Rockies dynamic duo was at it again in the bottom of the first, Charlie Blackmon scoring the first run of a game for

approximately the billionth time this season. He singled and moved to third on a botched pickoff attempt, coming in on a

sac fly from the peanut butter to his jelly, DJ LeMahieu.

Marquez gave up his first “Coors Field run” when Jeremy Hazelbaker “doubled” on a broken bat blooper to left field then

came in to score on consecutive sacrifices. It was exactly the type of thing that a young pitcher needs to get used to in this

park and precisely why the Rockies wanted to get him out there for a multiple-inning experience.

The Rockies offense exploded in the bottom of the second and it actually could have been much worse for the

Cardinals. Jordan Patterson began things with the first hit of his MLB career, a single up the middle, followed by a single

from Daniel Descalso to right that moved Patterson to third.

Marquez did his part to lay a nice sac bunt down the first base line, but pitcher Luke Weaver spun and made a perfect

throw to nail Patterson at the plate. It was easily the best moment of the inning for Weaver.

Blackmon delivered his 76th RBI of the season when he singled in Descalso in the ensuing at-bat and after Weaver was

able to get LeMahieu to line out to deep right-center, he gave the old unintentional intentional walk to Carlos Gonzalez on

four pitches. Nolan Arenado took the very next pitch Weaver threw 424 feet for his 39th home run of the season, giving

the Rockies a 6-1 lead.

Marquez stayed on to pitch through the fifth, ultimately earning the first win of his MLB career. His final line: 5 IP, 4H, 1ER,

1BB, 3 K, he threw 82 pitches, 50 for strikes. It was a pretty incredible start considering his age, the ballpark, the level of

talent on the opposing team, and the nature of the only run he surrendered. Time will tell if we look back on the trade that

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sent Corey Dickerson to Tampa Bay and brought Jake McGee to Colorado and think of it as the “German Marquez trade”

but for now, he looks like yet another exciting arm to go along with Jon Gray, Jeff Hoffman, and the rest of the gang.

Chris Rusin replaced him and looked fantastic through two innings, striking out five hitters and allowing just two singles.

The Rockies got some insurance runs in the seventh, beginning again with Blackmon and LeMahieu, this time with back-

to-back doubles. LeMahieu came in on a single by Parra after an intentional walk to Arenado who scored on Tom

Murphy‘s fifth home run of the season. He’s had only 28 at-bats. The blast put the Rockies up 11-1 and that was the final

as the Rockies avoided the sweep with an emphatic win.

By the Numbers

128 – With his grand slam in the second, Nolan Arenado pushed hit MLB-leading RBI total to 128.

39 – The grand slam was also Arenado’s NL-leading 39th home run of the year. It was the fourth grand slam of his career,

having one in each season he has played thus far.

76 – Charlie Blackmon, with a single in the bottom of the second inning, extend his franchise-best mark in RBI from the

leadoff spot to 76.

37 – DJ LeMahieu singled in the bottom of the fourth, extending his career-best on-base streak to 37 games.

.351 – With his RBI double in the seventh LeMahieu raised his batting average to .351. He is now four points ahead

of Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals — who is hitting .347 — for the National League batting title.

1 – German Marquez has one MLB win. At 21-years-old, he became the youngest Rockie pitcher ever to record a win.

What’s Next

The Rockies are off to Lala land to face the Los Angeles Dodgers for four games. Tyler Chatwood takes on former

Rockie Brett Anderson in Game 1. First pitch at 8:10 MST.

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New faces give the Rockies optimism for 2017 By Cameron Parker / BSN Denver | September 21, 2016

The Colorado Rockies are having a season of typical frustration but there is a glow of optimism on the horizon. The team

has added to its excellent minor league talent in hopes of re-writing the future. After Trevor Story’s historic and hot start to

his Major League career, every Rockies’ noticeable call-up has given the team further insight as to what the prospects are

for the franchise. The Rockies had a maybe a Top 10 farm system before the Troy Tulowitzki deal. Since the trade was

done just over a year ago, the Rockies have added a plethora of arms to pair with the team’s offensive talent, pushing

them into the Top 5.

Story’s quick emergence placed him in the early Rookie of the Year race and to some in the clubhouse was the leader

that award. If the old fences remained at Coors Field, he would have 33 home runs this year, not 27. Yet, Story emerged

as a reliable defender to go along with his offensive weaponry, and he began to rise to clutch moments in games.

In a remarkable story, the new Rockies outfielder David Dahl‘s rise into the starting lineup as an everyday outfielder

happened rather speedily. A month after an injury to Gerardo Parra, the Rockies called up Dahl to great effect, tying the

record for hit-streak to start a career at 17 games.

Both Story and Dahl play the game with hustle and a no-quit attitude, which seems to be infectious for the other players

on the team’s roster.

Another terrific young outfielder is making a presence early in his Major League career: Raimel Tapia. Tapia exhibits the

same high energy and resiliency as the two rookies who arrived before him. He even presents a unique trait with two-

strikes that potentially may give pitchers fits during a plate appearance. Tapia shortens his stance and crouches to shrink

his strike zone affecting where a pitcher has to throw. This adjustment has proven yet to be successful in a small sample

size. Tapia is batting .200, however, he is putting the ball in play (BABIP) at a .360 clip. His quirky batting average with

two strikes will rise with more reps.

Dahl and Tapia will present a difficult offseason choice for the Rockies, who in last winter gave a three-year deal to Parra.

Parra has recently seen time at first base, which could be bad news for Mark Reynolds, a free agent after this season.

Much like when Corey Dickerson made Michael Cuddyer expendable, both Dahl and Tapia could make a starting

outfielder like Charlie Blackmon or Carlos Gonzalez available for a trade. Of course, that is easier said than done.

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On the pitching front, Jeff Hoffman, German Marquez and Jon Gray provide an interesting proposition for a starting

rotation that once had more holes than swiss cheese. All three pitchers are flamethrowers, which the Rockies have lacked

for at least nine years since Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales.

For the Rockies to succeed as a pitching staff, constantly rebuilding the rotation and bullpen is the first order of business.

The team must add multiple arms in the bullpen and starting rotation that can hurl 95-98-mph consistently. Gray has

proven to be the future ace of the staff, while Marquez and Hoffman have seen the issues in fastball command and a

fielding defense doing them no favors. Still, Hoffman and Marquez have exhibited tremendous upside for the team’s

starting rotation.

The franchise is finally in the position to elevate promising pitching talent. One thing is for certain, though; there are signs

of optimism on all points of the horizon for the Colorado Rockies.

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Jordan Patterson to get first MLB start By Drew Creasman / BSN Denver | September 21, 2016

DENVER — This afternoon, the recently promoted Colorado Rockies outfielder/first baseman Jordan Patterson will make

his first MLB.

“They gave me a flight itinerary but it wasn’t for Denver,” Patterson said about the day he was called up, “and then they

paused for a second and said, ‘no, I’m just kidding,’ gave me a big ole bear hug, we shared some emotion and that was

that.”

Patterson will start in left field, giving David Dahl a rest, and not at first base where the club still seems to be seeing what

they can get out of Gerardo Parra at the position.

The 24-year-old who stands at 6’5 has had a career year in many ways, most especially in increasing his walk rate up to

nearly 10 percent, hovering over .400 with his on-base percentage before falling off a bit late in the season.

“It’s just evolving my approach and plan. I swing at the pitches I want to swing at and don’t swing at the pitches I don’t

want to. I’m being selective. At times I wasn’t but for the majority of the year I was and I think that’s a reason why my walk

percentage went up.”

But as the walk rate did dip near the end of the year, the power surged. “Yeah, that happens to me,” he says, ”Typically, if

you look at my years, the power comes in streaks and stretches. The first two months, I didn’t hit for much power but I

knew it was only a matter of time. I just stick to what I do best and I know it’ll come at some point.”

With his first chance at regular at-bats it will be interesting to see if Patterson can settle back into the rhythm he was in

with Albuquerque. Patterson will join German Marquez who is also making the first start of his MLB career this afternoon.

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Arenado, Marquez lift Rockies to 11-1 win over Cardinals By Associated Press / ESPN.com | September 21, 2016

DENVER -- The St. Louis Cardinals picked up a win before a pitch was even thrown when reserve outfielder Jose

Martinez captured a playful, pregame stare down with Colorado reliever Carlos Estevez.

Too bad for the Cardinals that didn't count in the standings. They sure could've used it.

Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam, German Marquez pitched five solid innings for his first major league win and the Rockies

slowed the Cardinals' playoff chase with an 11-1 victory on Wednesday.

The Cardinals, who had won four straight, entered the day tied with New York and San Francisco atop the NL wild-card

standings. The Mets and Giants both played later.

Arenado broke open the game in the second with his NL-leading 39th homer of the season. His fourth career slam made it

6-1.

It's a pitch that simply caught too much of the plate.

"Stayed straight," starter Luke Weaver said. "For it to flatten out at such a big moment right there is disappointing."

Weaver (1-4) was roughed up by the Rockies, surrendering seven hits and six runs in two innings. Before this game, the

right-hander had allowed 12 earned runs in his last seven starts combined.

The Cardinals had some early momentum when that standoff went their way just after the anthem.

Here's how it unfolded: Estevez and Martinez stood near their dugouts -- with their baseball cap over their heart -- and

refused to back down until the other moved first.

Estevez blinked first and made a winner of Martinez, who celebrated before retreating to the dugout. Estevez said

manager Walt Weiss pulled him in out of fear of being ejected.

"It's not fun to have one less bullpen guy," Estevez explained.

Martinez was going to see this thing through to the end -- no matter the consequences.

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"The umpire asked me, `Why you do that?' I'm like, `When you're a rookie and a big league guy asks you to stand up

there, I stand up there," said Martinez, who had a pinch-hit single in the seventh. "The most important thing is we have fun

and the fans enjoyed it."

This was a memorable day for Marquez (1-0), who made his first big league start after three appearances out of the

bullpen. He allowed one run and struck out three.

At 21 years, 212 days, Marquez was the second-youngest pitcher in Rockies' history to earn his first win, the team

announced. The youngest was Jamey Wright (21-206).

"A great pitching performance from the kid today," Weiss said. "It's easy -- easy velocity. Very effortless."

The hard-throwing Marquez was acquired in January as part of the deal that sent outfielder Corey Dickerson to Tampa

Bay. Marquez pitched a majority of the season for Double-A Hartford, where he was chosen as the pitcher of the year in

the Eastern League.

Marquez worked his way out of several dicey situations against the best road team in baseball. He allowed his only run in

the second, when Jeremy Hazelbaker led off with a double and later scored on Kolten Wong's sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals took two of three from Colorado during a series in which their starting pitchers were brilliant at the

plate. Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright and Weaver went a combined 4 for 4 with two doubles and six RBI. Weaver had

a single in his only plate appearance.

DJ LeMahieu got two hits and drove in two runs to raise his average to .351. He holds a slight lead over

Washington's Daniel Murphy in the NL batting race.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Matt Holliday (broken right thumb) is hoping to take live batting practice Friday at Wrigley Field before

the Chicago Cubs series. ... CYadier Molina had the day off.

Rockies: Third base coach Stu Cole sat out another day after being hit in the head by a ball that caromed off another

during batting practice Tuesday.

THIS & THAT

Rockies catcher Tom Murphy had a three-run homer as part of a five-run seventh. ... Arenado's grand slam gives him 128

RBI this season, which leads the majors.