Rockies 3, Marlins 2
MIAMI - Jhoulys Chacin, just back from the bereavement list, pitched seven strong innings, and the Colorado Rockies rallied with a two-run eighth inning to defeat the Miami Marlins 3-2 Friday night at Marlins Park.
Chacin (12-7) had flown to his native Venezuela on Monday after the death of his grandmother. He met the team in Miami on Friday and went out and pitched well, allowing four hits, four walks and two runs.
The walks were a season high for Chacin, but they weren't as bad as it might appear. Two were against Giancarlo Stanton, the Marlins' most dangerous hitter, and one was against cleanup hitter Logan Morrison.
The loss went to reliever Mike Dunn (3-4) after starter Tom Koehler had allowed just one run in seven innings.
With the Rockies trailing 2-1, Troy Tulowitzki started the winning rally with his second double of the game, scoring on a single by Michael Cuddyer. With two outs, Ryan Wheeler got the game-winning RBI with a double to center.
The Marlins had taken a 2-1 lead in the seventh when Jake Marisnick hit a one-out triple to right and scored on pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs' sacrifice fly.
The oddest part of that sequence came on the triple, when third-base coach Joe Espada collided with the 225-pound Chacin, who was backing up third on the play. Espada hit the ground but was OK.
The Marlins opened the scoring when Ed Lucas hit his third homer of the season to lead off the fifth. He got a fastball down the middle of the plate and sent it 400 feet to left-center field.
Colorado tied the score 1-1 when DJ LeMahieu tripled to left center to lead off the sixth and scored on Cuddyer's groundout.
Chacin got out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the sixth. After Donovan Solano doubled, Chacin pitched around Stanton and Morrison -- walking both -- before he got Lucas on a groundout to shortstop.
Neither team scored through the first four innings.
In fact, the Marlins didn't get a hit until Solano singled to lead off the fourth. But after Stanton struck out, Solano was erased when Morrison bounced into a double play.
Colorado wasted a pair of two-out doubles -- by Tulowitzki in the first and Nolan Arenado in the second.
NOTES: RHP Rafael Betancourt, the Rockies' 38-year-old closer, suffered a right elbow sprain on Thursday against the Phillies. He will have an MRI on Monday, but the speculation is that he will be lost for the season. His contract is up after this season and he may have a very hard time making a big-league roster again at his age and with his injury. ... The Rockies' new closer is LHP Rex Brothers, 25, a first-round park in 2009. He enters the weekend with a 1.61 ERA and 11 saves. ... The Rockies also designated RHP Edgmer Escalona for assignment and called up RHP Rob Scahill. ... Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez, who is second in the majors in opponents' batting average (.189) and third in ERA (2.41), will go for his 10th win on Saturday. He will be opposed by RHP Jeff Manship (0-3). ... Marlins 3B Placido Polanco (concussion) is feeling better but has yet to resume baseball activities.
