In a night filled with twists and tension, the Colorado Rockies snapped their three-game skid with a hard-fought 3–2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, July 11, at Great American Ball Park.

Rockies starter Germán Márquez delivered one of his finest outings this season, working six strong innings with eight strikeouts. His performance was elegant in its control and efficiency, limiting hits to just five, walking three, and surrendering only a solo home run to Cincinnati’s Noelvi Marte in the third inning. That homer briefly put the visitors behind 1–0, but Márquez’s ability to bounce back stifled further damage.

On the Reds’ side, rookie Chase Burns offered one of the most impressive starts of his nascent career: six innings, ten strikeouts, just four hits, and two runs allowed. Burns’ electric fastball kept Colorado’s hitters off balance throughout the night, his dominant effort nearly bailing the Reds cleanly out of trouble.

The offensive spark arrived in the fourth inning. With Michael Toglia on second after reaching base, Ryan McMahon launched his 13th home run of the season over the left-field fence—just the punch Colorado needed to go up 2–1.

But Colorado’s two-run cushion didn’t last. In the seventh, reliever Jake Bird surrendered a leadoff single to Will Benson and a subsequent double by Noelvi Marte. A groundout from T.J. Friedl plated Benson, knotting the score at 2–2.

The decisive moment came in the eighth. With bases loaded and two outs, Reds reliever Tony Santillan—who had been excellent—unleashed a wild pitch that eluded catcher Tyler Stephenson. All-Star Hunter Goodman dashed home from third to give Colorado a 3–2 lead and the ultimate victory.

Bird earned the win (3–1), though he allowed the tying run in the seventh. Juan Mejia shut down the Reds in the eighth, throwing a scoreless frame, but it was Victor Vodnik who closed the door in the ninth. He parked the Reds with one run allowed after a leadoff double and an intentional walk, striking out three to notch his second save of the season.

Colorado (22–72) avoided tying the modern-era MLB mark for fewest wins before the All‑Star break. They will look to win the series on Saturday when the Rockies send Bradley Blalock (0–2, 12.94 ERA) to face Cincinnati’s Brady Singer (7–7, 4.32).