DENVER -- David Dahl's body language suggested he was fishing for a home run in the fourth inning Wednesday, and sure enough it showed up -- 438 feet into the Coors Field home bullpen for two runs. The problem was the Rockies otherwise came home empty in the 4-3 loss to the Pirates in the rubber game.
For much of the season, strong starting pitching has carried the Rockies into National League West contention. But even that -- which included a slow beginning but otherwise solid six-inning, 10-strikeout performance from righty German Marquez (9-9) -- hasn't been enough to prop up anemic offensive efforts as of late.