The Colorado Rockies defeated the Washington Nationals Wednesday afternoon, 9-5, to wrap up their seven-game homestand on a positive note.
The Rockies went 5-2 over the seven games and managed to find their footing after a rough start to the season.
Ahead are takeaways from the victory.
Murphy makes his return
Rockies’ first baseman Daniel Murphy made his return to the diamond Wednesday afternoon against his former team after missing a majority of the season with a broken left index finger.
After a handful of at-bats down in Triple-A with the Albuquerque Isotopes, Murphy was productive for Colorado at the dish by recording a hit, driving in a run and working a walk.
Manager Bud Black opted to slide Murphy into the three-hole of the Rockies’ lineup, a move that proved to be worthwhile as Colorado’s offense did a fantastic job of stringing hits together, collecting 12 in the game.
The addition of Murphy into the lineup will allow the Rockies to be more versatile offensively and also breaks up the glut of power the club has. A pure hitter with gap-to-gap power, Murphy will provide balance to Colorado’s offense moving forward.
Murphy is a proven commodity at the plate and has been one of the most consistent hitters in the game over the past few years. A three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner at second base, Murphy’s return will help stabilize the Rockies offense moving forward.
Chuck stays hot
Charlie Blackmon has started to heat up recently and continued his success at the plate Wednesday afternoon, blasting a solo home run in the fourth inning of the game.
Touch 'em all time…
or should we say 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘤𝘬 'em all time 😏 pic.twitter.com/wiT4axzKle
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 24, 2019
The home run was good for his 612th career run scored, surpassing Vinny Castilla for the sixth most in franchise history.
Blackmon was the hottest hitter on the Rockies homestand, posting a .388 batting average over the stretch. Additionally, Blackmon has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games and is riding an eight-game hitting streak.
Tapia is starting to make a name for himself
Outfielder Raimel Tapia has put together a solid performance in each of the Rockies last four games.
After blasting home runs in three consecutive games, Tapia followed up Wednesday by collecting a pair of hits, including a bases-clearing double that pushed the Rockies ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning.
Known for his hitting when coming up through the Rockies’ minor league system, Tapia has logged hits in 14 of his last 18 games, batting .320 in that span.
Marquez powers through struggles
Starting pitcher German Marquez did not have his best stuff on the mound Wednesday.
The flamethrower lacked command from the onset, surrendering three runs through the first three innings.
Marquez’ struggles started in the second inning when he allowed a leadoff double to Matt Adams. Marquez later allowed a double to Jake Noll which scored Adams, establishing a 1-0 lead for Washington.
The struggles for Marquez carried over into the third inning where he allowed a two-run home run to youngster Juan Soto, extending the Nats lead to 3-0.
Luckily for Marquez, the Rockies offense bailed him out, managing to post four runs in the bottom half of the third.
Pitching with a lead, Marquez buckled down on the mound and helped solidify the Rockies’ victory, logging seven innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out seven.
The frontman of the Rockies rotation was noticeably off his game but managed to battle through his struggles, a major positive for the club.