Ryan McMahon hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, leading the Colorado Rockies to a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday night. This game featured two of the National League’s struggling teams.
Both Colorado (49-83) and Miami (47-84) are in rebuilding phases and fielded young players. Griffin Conine, the son of former Marlins star Jeff Conine, made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning but struck out.
McMahon’s 438-foot homer to center field was his 17th of the season. He hit it off a 95 mph fastball from Edward Cabrera (2-6), marking the only extra-base hit of the game.
“The guy was throwing 97 mph changeups tonight,” McMahon said. “I put a good swing on it and I was happy it went out.” This homer ended McMahon’s 20-game streak without one.
The Rockies’ bullpen pitched four scoreless innings. Jake Bird (2-2) threw the sixth inning, and Tyler Kinley earned the final three outs for his seventh save.
“A lot of times when you go to the bullpen and use four guys, they have to be flawless in a one-run game, and they were today,” said manager Bud Black.
Rockies starter Ryan Feltner, who was sidelined for a start on August 7 and later placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain, held the Marlins scoreless for four innings. However, he allowed Jesus Sanchez’s two-run single in the fifth.
“They were starting to chip away a little bit in the fifth, but I still felt comfortable with my stuff,” Feltner said. “Fastball felt unexpectedly good today, so we decided to throw more.”
Feltner hasn’t won since April 10 at Toronto, marking a winless streak of 21 starts.
The Rockies tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with Aaron Schunk’s RBI groundout and Jake Cave’s run-scoring single.
Cabrera gave up six hits and struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings.
