Washington Nationals drop 2 of 3 in Coors Field with 9-5 loss to Colorado Rockies in series finale...

Aníbal Sánchez started strong in the first two innings this afternoon in the series finale in Denver, CO’s Coors Field, but then things went all pear-shaped for the right-hander, who gave up four in the third and two more in the fourth as the Colorado Rockies went up 6-3 and went on to a 9-5 win in the third of three with the Washington Nationals.

Sánchez vs the Rockies: Winless in his first four starts with the Nationals, (0-2), with a 4.91 ERA, 11 walks, 17 Ks, and a .256/.337/.422 line against in 22 IP, Aníbal Sánchez took the hill this afternoon in Coors Field looking to help Washington to a series win in the three-game set with the Rockies.

With the score 3-0 Nationals in the third this afternoon, Sánchez gave up a one-out triple to left-center by Trevor Story, who took the extra base when Juan Soto bobbled the ball a bit, and scored, after a walk to Daniel Murphy, when Nolan Arenado hit a sac fly to center field, 3-1 Nats.

Sánchez gave up a double by David Dahl and a walk to Ryan McMahon in the next two at bats, loading them up with two down, and Adam Eaton misjudged a liner to right field off Raimel Tapia’s bat, allowing three runs to score as it sailed over the leaping outfielder’s outstretched glove, 4-3.

Charlie Blackmon added to the Rockies’ lead with a solo home run to right in the first at bat of the fourth, taking an 0-2 changeup inside for a ride to make it 5-3 over the Nationals, and 6-3, after Nolan Arenado dumped an RBI single into short right field with one down.

Sánchez came back out with a scoreless fifth...

Aníbal Sánchez’s Line: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 98 P, 61 S, 3/2 GO/FO.

Marquez vs the Nationals: Rockies’ right-hander German Márquez followed up on a strong, 105-pitch, complete game, one-hit shutout against the San Francisco Giants with a five-inning, 95-pitch outing against the Philadelphia Phillies in which he gave up 10 hits, two walks, and two earned runs, receiving no decision in what ended up a 4-3 win for Colorado last time out before today.

Márquez gave up a run early in the series finale with the Nationals this afternoon, with Matt Adams and Jake Noll connecting for one and two-out doubles, respectively, to make it 1-0 Nats after one and a half in Coors Field.

Victor Robles singled with two down in the Nats’ third, and Juan Soto followed with a two-run homer to right on a 1-2 slider up in the zone inside that went out over the out-of-town scoreboard in right field to make it 3-0. Soto’s 4th of 2019.

Márquez kept it there through seven innings as the Rockies’ jumped out to a 6-3 lead with four in the third and two in the fourth, and the right-hander worked around a two-out walk in the seventh before he was done for the day...

German Márquez’s Line: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks, 1 HR, 102 P, 69 S, 8/2 GO/FO.

Eaton is Streaking: With the first of his two hits last night, Adam Eaton extended his hit streak to nine-straight games, over which the 30-year-old right fielder was 16 for 39 (.410 AVG), with two doubles, a triple, a home run, three walks, and nine runs scored over that stretch, which left him with a .319/.386/.418 line overall after 21 games and 101 PAs.

Eaton was 0 for 4 through the seventh, but he got one more shot to extend his hit streak in the ninth ... and ... he extended it with a single!!! Streak lives!

BULLPEN ACTION: Matt Grace retired the first two batters he faced in the Rockies’ sixth, but an 0-1 pitch to David Dahl bounced off the yellow top of the center field fence for a double that was originally ruled a home run, but reviewed and reversed.

Grace got the third out of the frame without further damage, keeping it a three-run deficit, 6-3 Rockies after six, and he tossed a scoreless bottom of the seventh as well.

Scott Oberg tossed a scoreless, six-pitch top of the eighth.

Trevor Rosenthal got the bottom of the eighth inning for the Nationals, and promptly hit the first batter he faced, Charlie Blackmon, walked the second, Trevor Story (on 5 pitches) then uncorked two wild pitches around a groundout, allowing one run in, gave up a single, two runs in, and threw a third wild pitch later in the inning... yeah, this is not getting better. 8-3 Rockies. An RBI single by David Dahl made it 9-3.

Harrison Musgrave got the ninth inning for the Rockies and gave up back-to-back-to-back, one-out singles by Wilmer Difo, Adam Eaton, and Victor Robles, which loaded the bases in front of Juan Soto, who K’d looking for out No. 2 before Matt Adams lined a single to center to drive in two runs, 9-5. Wade Davis came on at that point and got out No. 3 from Kurt Suzuki.

Nationals now 11-12