Field Level Media
26 Sep 2020, 14:49 GMT+10
After Friday's doubleheader, the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are ready to play a single game Saturday in Phoenix.
The Diamondbacks (24-34) swept Friday's games, 4-0 and 11-5, and stretched their winning streak to four games.
In the penultimate game of the season for both teams, Rockies ace German Marquez will go against Arizona's Luke Weaver at Chase Field.
Marquez (3-6, 4.10 ERA) is looking to go into the offseason on a positive note after a rough stretch in the middle of this year. He pitched well as the opening day starter but took the hard-luck loss at Texas. He won his next two starts but struggled after getting a win at San Francisco on Aug. 4.
He went nearly seven weeks before he got another victory, going 0-5 with a 5.26 ERA in eight starts despite having five quality outings. He got back to form in a 7-2 win at San Francisco on Monday, allowing just one run in six innings.
Marquez is familiar with the Diamondbacks. In 16 career games, 15 of them starts, he is 3-5 with a 4.59 ERA.
Marquez's struggles mirror what the team has gone through. When he beat the Giants on Aug. 4, the Rockies (25-33) were in the midst of winning 11 of 13, but since then the bottom has dropped out. Beginning with Marquez's start at Seattle on Aug. 9, Colorado has gone 14-29 and was officially eliminated from the postseason with a loss in the first game on Friday.
One of the few bright spots has been the play of Josh Fuentes, who is hitting .315 entering Saturday. He has taken advantage of his opportunity and is not taking it for granted.
"I'm so blessed just to be here," Fuentes said. "I love being around the guys. I thoroughly enjoy practice, BP and hanging around the cage. That's just my favorite stuff to do."
He is getting comfortable moving around the diamond to stay in the lineup.
"If you're a one-position guy, you usually play every day," Fuentes said. "You don't see Nolan (Arenado) or (Trevor) Story going into the outfield or anything like that. ... At the same time, you've got to do what's best for the team. If that's being a utility guy and me playing left and right, then that's what I've got to do, as long as I'm in the lineup and playing."
Weaver (1-8, 6.51 ERA) has also struggled but has been strong recently. He has given up three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts but hasn't won a decision since Aug. 18. He has had a tough time against Colorado, going 1-1 with a 7.47 ERA in five career games, four of them starts.
Weaver's last outing, Sept. 19 at Houston, was solid until he gave up three runs in the sixth to the Astros. That was enough in a 3-2 loss, his fifth straight overall.
"I was able to get some three ups and three downs, but in the sixth inning, I had a couple of tough blows there and just not really winning," Weaver said after the game. "It was a very unfortunate inning, to say the least."
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