Colorado Rockies game no. 1 thread: Germán Márquez vs Blake Snell

Mar 31, 2023 - 12:40 AM

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The day is finally here at last. No lockouts. No pandemic. There ain’t no gettin’ offa this train we’re on, till we get to the end of the line. Welcome to Opening Day of the 2023 Major League Baseball season.

The Colorado Rockies are taking on the San Diego Padres tonight in a game that had it’s start time pushed back due to rain in the area. The Rockies, entering their 30th anniversary season, are coming off a frustrating 2022 campaign where they went 68-94 to tie for their fourth worst finish in franchise history. The offense was broken, the rotation struggled, and their new superstar Kris Bryant only played in 42 games due to injury.

The Rockies replaced their hitting coach Dave Magadan with World Series Champion Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens,” Kris Bryant looks healthy and tore the cover off the ball in spring training, and owner Dick Monfort... thinks we can maybe finish around .500. Strap in, folk. It’s going to be an interesting season.

Your Opening Day starting pitcher for 2023 is Germán Márquez. Now 28-years old, the right-handed Venezuelan ace is looking for a bounce-back year after struggling in 2022. Márquez made 31 starts last season and posted his highest single season ERA since his 2016 rookie campaign in 2016 while allowing a career high 30 home runs. Márquez is feeling more confident this season and was named the Opening Day starter after an excellent showing in the Cactus League. Márquez is the first pitcher in franchise history to get a third Opening Day start.

On the bump for the Padres is the left-handed former Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Snell battled some injuries in 2022 and made just 24 starts over 128 innings, but finished with a 3.38 ERA and 171 strikeouts. In his nine career starts against the Rockies, Snell has an ERA of 4.24 and has given up just 3 home runs. He has struck out 67 Rockies in just 46 ²⁄₃ innings of work for a 12.9 K/9 rate. Snell is one of the best when it comes to fastball velocity and spin rate, as well as whiff percentage. His four seam fastball is his primary pitch, but he generates plenty of whiffs with an arsenal of breaking pitches that include a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. His slider carried a 30.6% put-away rate last season.

First Pitch: 7:40 PM MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain; MLB.tv

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups: