Despite entering the day hoping to complete the sweep, the Colorado Rockies dropped the series finale to the Minnesota Twins by a score of 7–1. The Twins were led by dominant starting pitching and plenty of long balls.

Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was the story of the day, tossing seven masterful innings. He allowed just one run on five hits, didn’t issue a single walk, and struck out 11 Rockies hitters—his highest total of the season. Ryan attacked the strike zone with confidence and worked quickly, keeping the Colorado offense off balance throughout the afternoon. His fastball-slider combination was particularly sharp, and the Rockies failed to mount any sustained threat after the third inning.

That lone glimmer for Colorado came courtesy of Mickey Moniak, who launched a solo home run in the bottom of the third to make it a 3-1 game at the time, but the Rockies stalled out. Aside from Moniak’s home run as part of a 1-for-4 day, Jordan Beck had three hits and Ryan McMahon had two, comprising all six of the team’s hits. They struck out 13 times and didn’t draw a single walk. They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

The Twins were powered by a two-run homer from Matt Wallner in the third, solo shots by Royce Lewis in the fourth and eighth, and a solo shot from Harrison Bader in the sixth. Minnesota knocked out 12 hits with all but one starter getting a knock. The lineup also struck out just six times while drawing five walks.

On the Rockies’ side, Germán Márquez took the loss and dropped to 3–11 on the season. He struggled with his command, walking the leadoff hitter in the first three innings while his velocity was down. He exited after three innings, giving up three runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts. It was revealed after the game that he was dealing with some shoulder soreness and hadn’t recovered well from his last start before the All-Star break.

Though he managed to limit the damage early, he lacked the sharpness and command needed to keep Minnesota’s lineup in check. The bullpen didn’t fare much better, allowing four additional runs in the final six frames, including the second Lewis homer and a run scored on a throwing error by Orlando Arcia.

Next up for Colorado is a home series against the St. Louis Cardinals starting on Monday.