CINCINNATI -- As the July 31 Trade Deadline approaches, Germán Márquez is aware that his name is being mentioned among the Colorado Rockies who might be dealt.
But the veteran right-hander remains focused on getting better with each start and helping the team take some semblance of positivity into the All-Star break.
“I don’t think about it,” Márquez said. “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. If I’m going to stay here, I want to keep doing my job here, or wherever. So I don’t think about it.”
Márquez did his job Friday night, recording a season-high eight strikeouts while allowing only one run through six innings as the Rockies edged the Reds, 3-2, in the opener of a three-game series.
“He started throwing like a knuckle-curve and then a bigger break -- a slider off of that and did a really good job,” Reds manager Terry Francona said of Márquez.
It’s the sort of game the Rockies have failed to win time and time again.
“That’s been the story of the season,” third basemen Ryan McMahon said. “If we score a bunch of runs, typically we win. It’s these hard-fought games that we need to find a way to get that little edge, score that extra run, stuff like that. Tonight we did a good job of that.”
With the game tied 2-2, the Rockies loaded the bases in the eighth against Tony Santillan, who uncorked a wild pitch to allow All-Star Hunter Goodman to score the go-ahead run from third.
Noelvi Marte’s solo home run put Cincinnati ahead 1-0 in the third. That was the only run allowed by Márquez, who surrendered five hits with three walks.
“Really good win, and Márquez led the charge,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I thought he worked in and out with the two-seam, four-seam mix. Curveball got better. He battled and grinded through six innings. Exactly what you expect from Germán Márquez.”
Reds rookie right-hander Chase Burns was impressive again, striking out 10 in six innings. But a leadoff walk to Michael Toglia in the fourth was followed by McMahon’s two-run homer to put Colorado ahead.
While Burns’ career is just getting started, Márquez is getting his career back on track after missing most of the 2023 and '24 seasons following Tommy John surgery.
On Friday night, Schaeffer saw a pitcher focused on his own improvement and the team’s success, and not the outside noise.
“It looks to me like he was all in tonight for the team, and I expect nothing less from him,” Schaeffer said. “Everybody that’s on the trade rumor block, they all got after it. I don’t even know what to say about that.”
Schaeffer’s decision to intentionally walk Reds superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz three times paid off with Márquez, Jake Bird and Victor Vodnik each fanning Austin Hays following those free passes.
“They did their job,” Schaeffer said. “You can do that, you can [intentionally] walk guys if the guys do their job behind them, which they did tonight."
Coming off a dismal series in Boston in which they were outscored 29-7, the Rockies are committed to finishing the first half strong.
“Coming off a tough series in Boston, we kind of talked about it today, this isn’t like throw it in and go to the break,” McMahon said. “We’ve got [two] more games, lock it in, play our butts off and see what happens.”