Ryan McMahon breaks out of cold streak with 2-run homer in Rockies win

Rockies Report, Game 94:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Ryan McMahon’s two-run homer was the key shot in a three-hit night that powered the Rockies to a 3-2 win to open a weekend series at Cincinnati on Friday night.

With Colorado trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning and Michael Toglia on first base after a leadoff walk, McMahon got the pitch he wanted from rookie Chase Burns — a curveball that hung in the heart of the strike zone — and he crushed it, 414 feet and roughly halfway up the right-field stands.

McMashin' pic.twitter.com/o9BnjSN6A4

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 12, 2025

McMahon was later a part of the eighth-inning rally that produced the decisive run, keeping the Rockies alive with an infield single that loaded the bases.

That the Rockies up to score on one wobble … which they did, when Tony Santillan delivered a wild pitch, scoring Hunter Goodman from third base. That proved decisive.

➕1⃣ pic.twitter.com/qLlAcIvxrm

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 12, 2025

The huge night for McMahon was desperately needed, as he entered in the midst of a cold snap.

McMahon had a miserable start to the season, notching a .147/.273/.235 line through April 30. But when the calendar flipped to May, he returned to his usual form; from May 1 through June 21, he logged a .275/.370/.531 line.

But from June 22 through Wednesday, his fortunes plummeted; he notched a .125/.183/.143 line, going 7-for-56 with just one extra-base hit.

Given that McMahon is one of the Rox’ most tradeable assets, any drop in production is a concern, especially given his start to the season. Maximizing the return on the 30-year-old third baseman depends on showing that the start of the season was the aberration, and not the start of a career decline.

His season-long OPS remains below .700; the .694 figure he currently carries would be his lowest since 2018. So, he’ll need a few more nights like Friday.

Victor Vodnik earned the save, striking out TJ Friedl, Matt McLain and Austin Hays, overcoming a leadoff double yielded to Santiago Espinal. Vodnik got McLain and Hays to chase his slider, allowing the Rox to escape with their first win of the road trip.

Jake Bird received credit for the win, but it was a matter of good timing, as he struggled again, opening the seventh inning by allowing a single and a double. He settled down to log a pair of groundouts, but the first one brought him the game-tying run.

Bird has been scored upon in four of his last six appearances and has an 11.92 ERA since June 13.

Strikeouts were still a problem for the Rox; they whiffed 16 times — including 10 against Burns, last year’s No. 2 overall pick in the MLB Draft. Tyler Freeman and Brenton Doyle struck out three times apiece.

But it was still a victorious night for the Rox.

Colorado improved to 22-72.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Holding the Reds to one run over six innings at the homer-happy Great American Ballpark is quite the feat, and Germán Márquez had arguably his best start of the season as he delivered his first quality start since May 27 and his fifth of the season.

Despite the lack of “official” quality starts, Márquez has become Colorado’s most consistent pitcher at giving the team a chance to win. Friday, he did much more than that. His mistakes were few; even the home run he allowed to Noelvi Marte was a good pitch, a low curveball that Marte reached for and muscled over the fence.

He scattered five runs and three walks. Just one inning was clean, but he effectively escaped trouble, striking out a season-high eight batters.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Vodnik got Hays to flail at a slider outside of the zone to end the contest.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 3.66 — Márquez’s ERA in his last 12 starts. The Rockies are 6-6 in those games.

WHAT’S NEXT: The recently recalled Bradley Blalock gets the nod for a late-afternoon duel. Brady Singer starts for the Reds. First pitch is at 2:10 p.m. MDT.

Related

Rockies blasted in Arizona as old friend Arenado launches first-inning grand slamRockies get thunder from Hunter Goodman, but it’s not enough to avoid a series lossRockies sprint in front on first pitch, power past CardinalsRockies outhit Cardinals 10-4, but drop road-trip openerFive Rockies land on Baseball America’s updated Top 100Rockies absorb sweep as Rays deal them shutout loss