Rockies squander big lead and miss Ezequiel Tovar’s big night in loss to Marlins

How about this fish story?

The Rockies led Miami 8-4 early in the ninth inning on Tuesday night at Coors Field. Then the Rockies lost 9-8 when the Marlins scored five runs in the top of the inning against shaky relievers Tyler Kinley and Angel Chivilli.

Talk about the one who got away.

Kinley served a two-run double to Miami designated hitter Jake “Smash” Burger with the bases loaded. Then Jesus Sanchez hit the game-winning three-run homer against Chivilli.

It was the sixth time this season that Colorado allowed five or more runs — and gave up the lead in the ninth inning or later — despite leading by one going into the ninth inning. That’s the most such collapses in a single season in major league history.

Colorado led 6-0 after the second inning, making Tuesday’s game the largest blown lead of the season.

Kinley has been Colorado’s best reliever over the past six weeks. Entering Tuesday, he had held opponents scoreless in 18 of his last 20 appearances, posted a 1.31 ERA, limited hitters to a .153 average, allowed 24 strikeouts and five walks.

On Monday night, he earned his seventh save by pitching a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts in the Rockies’ 3-2 win over Miami.

But he wasn’t at his best on Tuesday, allowing two doubles, a single and a walk in the ninth inning without getting an out. Kinley looked uncomfortable on the mound and kicked the dirt in the landing area, but he didn’t blame that for his poor performance.

“It’s just part of the environment,” he said. “I just didn’t do a good job of executing the throws tonight. They missed some good throws. But at the end of the day, I didn’t do my job.”

Manager Bud Black tried to put the loss in perspective.

“It was a tale of two nights, right?” he said. “Chivilli last night – two strikeouts and a very efficient eighth inning. And Kinley (hit) two strikeouts in the ninth inning last night. It shows that in baseball, 24 hours can make a difference. Nothing is predictable in this game.”

Before the Rockies bullpen collapsed, Ezequiel Tovar was the story of the night.

The Rockies’ young shortstop hit home runs in the first and second innings, added a double in the fourth inning and hit a sacrifice fly to the right outfield wall in the sixth inning.

With his three-hit night, Tovar recorded his 81st multi-hit game before turning 24, tying him with Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez for fifth place in franchise history in that category.

“Our most important task is to go home with a win at the end of the day,” Tovar said. “Although I played a good game, we didn’t go home with a win. We have to do our job a little better to get the results.”

The Rockies, who have a 12-3 record against Miami at Coors Stadium since 2019, opened the game with a bang against right-hander Rod Munzon.

Designated hitter Charlie Blackmon hit first, hitting a 452-foot home run that hit the first row of the third deck over right field. Blackmon’s ninth home run of the season was also the ninth longest of his 14-year career.

Tovar stepped up and fired Munoz’s 0-2 slider 456 feet into left-center field. It was the fourth time in franchise history that the Rockies opened a game with back-to-back home runs. The 456-footer was the longest home run of Tovar’s career.

“You know when you have good contact,” he said. “You feel it and think, ‘Yeah, the ball has a good chance of going in.’ That’s when I felt it.”

For anyone interested in quirky baseball history and facts, the Elias Sports Bureau dug up this gem. Blackmon is 38 and Tovar is 23. Their age difference of 15 years and 31 days is the largest since 1900 between a team’s first and second batters to both hit a home run.

The previous record was set by the Detroit Tigers at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 22, 1939, at 14 years and 325 days. The first batter, Barney McCosky, was born on April 11, 1917, and the second batter, Earl Averill, was born on May 21, 1902.

Tovar said he was excited to share a historic connection with Blackmon.

“It’s just an honor for me to play with Charlie,” Tovar said. “He’s a role model for me with his work ethic and dedication. It’s great to play with him.”

The previous record was set by the Detroit Tigers at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 22, 1939, at 14 years and 325 days. The first batter, Barney McCosky, was born on April 11, 1917, and the second batter, Earl Averill, was born on May 21, 1902.

Back to the present: It was “Bark at the Park” night, which attracted 20,284 spectators to see the two worst teams in the National League.

Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill got off to a rocky start but pitched well enough to stay on course for a win until his epic collapse in the ninth inning.

As he has done all season at Coors, Quantrill held on despite the Marlins allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Quantrill allowed five walks, used 86 pitches and escaped several tough situations, but left with a 6-4 lead.

“I obviously didn’t feel great tonight,” Quantrill said. “I had a hard time staying in the zone. I didn’t play as much catch as I normally do, just tried to stay healthy. I think it showed a little bit. I wasn’t as good as I could be. We still battled, but this is a tough loss.”

In 12 starts in LoDo, Quantrill has a record of 4-3 with a 4.26 ERA.

Sam Hilliard, who started in center field, hit the Rockies’ fourth home run – a solo hit off Jonathan Bermudez in the sixth inning. It was Hilliard’s fifth home run.

Injury Updates: Left-hander Lucas Gilbreath, back on the 15-day injured list as he continues to battle soreness in his left shoulder and latissimus dorsi, may not pitch again this season. He pitched in just three games in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season following Tommy John surgery.

“I just can’t figure it out,” the Legacy High School graduate said Tuesday. “Every time I think I’ve figured it out, I take three steps back. I thought I was in a good spot and starting to build strength, but then it went downhill again.”