Rockies strike out 16 times in 10-inning loss to Marlins

Gone with the whiff.

The Rockies’ chance for a rare sweep in South Florida was scuttled by a 16-strikeout Sunday at loanDepot Park.

Let the record show that the Marlins won the game, 3-2, in 10 innings on second baseman Luis Arraez’s bases-loaded single in the 10th of right-hander Pierce Johnson.

The Rockies employed a five-man infield against Arraez, but the .379 hitter ripped the ball to right field for his third hit of the game. Johnson’s big mistake was not giving up the single to Arraez, but rather, issuing a one-out walk to No. 9 hitter Nick Fortes to load the bases and set Arraez up for success.

Despite all of the K’s, and despite going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base, Colorado pushed the games to extra innings thanks to Randal Grichuk.

Grichuk, who’s quietly put together a strong season, hit an explosive solo homer in the ninth off A.J. Puk, tying the game, 2-2. Grichuk, who won Saturday’s game with a single in the ninth, launched his homer 438 feet onto the concourse in left field.

Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo dominated the Rockies for seven innings, striking out a career-high 13, although he needed 115 pitches to get there.

Luzardo gave up just four hits. His one mistake was serving up a two-out, solo homer to rookie center fielder Brenton Doyle in the fifth. But he made up for it by fanning Doyle with two men on base in the seventh for his final strikeout of the afternoon.

Colorado struck out 43 times in the three-game series but still managed to win the first two games. They were chasing their first three-game sweep at Miami since 2006.

Colorado utilized a bullpen game with lefty Ty Blach opening the game. Blach blanked the Marlins for three innings, giving up two hits, striking out two and walking none.

The Marlins scratched out two runs in the sixth off right-hander Connor Seabold, the former starter who is now in the bullpen. Fortes singled to left and took second on Seabold’s wild pitch. Arraez, clearly the best young hitter in the game, doubled home Fortes, advanced to third on Jorge Soler’s single and scored the go-ahead run on Yuli Gurriel’s sacrifice fly to right.

Colorado begins a three-game series against the Nationals in Washington D.C. on Monday.

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