Marlins 8, Rockies 5: Dietrich, bullpen lead Fish to clinch road and season series

Runs came across easily for both teams during the early innings on Sunday afternoon, but the Marlins bullpen quieted Colorado’s bats when it counted, retiring 17 in a row to secure the 8-5 win.

Caleb Smith: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (31 pitches)

German Márquez: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 6 K (82 pitches)

A fierce storm—including hail!—delayed the start of the game by an hour-and-a-half. Marlins coach Perry Hill reported live from the messy scene:

Whatever Márquez did to try to stay loose in the meantime was ineffective. The first five batters of the game reached base against the young right-hander, the rally ignited by red-hot Derek Dietrich. He went 4-for-5 against Rockies pitching and now has five home runs and 11 extra-base hits in June, both tying career highs for any month of his career.

Scary moment for Smith in the bottom of the second inning, when he recoiled awkwardly after getting Noel Cuevas to ground out. The Marlins described the injury as left shoulder tightness and didn’t immediately place him on the disabled list.

Drew Rucinski entered in his place, allowing three runs in his 2 ²⁄₃ innings.

But the other relievers combined to dominate. Tayron Guerrero, Adam Conley, Brad Ziegler and Kyle Barraclough didn’t let anybody reach base. It was an especially encouraging performance by Guerrero (2.0 IP, 4K), who at various points has seemed to be on the verge of a minor league demotion.

The Marlins offense only produced 96 runs apiece in March/April and May, but they’re already at 91 this month with nearly a full week still remaining (thanks, Coors!).

Monday begins a stretch of 17 games in 17 days for the Marlins, including a 10-game homestand against the Diamondbacks, Mets and Rays. Probable starters will be Dan Straily and Shelby Miller, who’s making his season debut after missing more than a year to Tommy John surgery. First pitch approximately 7:10pm.

Courtesy of FanGraphs

Attendance: 34,172

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Matchup Summary

Nice bounce back on Saturday after getting smacked around in the series opener. Justin Bour and J.T. Realmuto delivered the biggest blows in a five-run seventh inning for the Marlins en route to the 6-2 win.

After winning only 10 games each in March/April and May, the team can exceed those totals in June with room to spare.

At his sharpest, we’ve seen Caleb Smith keep opponents guessing, regardless of their talent or venue. This will, however, be his first career appearance at Coors Field.

Thread Question: The Rockies look like a team that will be seeking veteran upgrades at the trade deadline. If they pursue any of the available Marlins, which of their young players/prospects would you want in return?