What looked like the Nationals’ best chance in days to end their disastrous skid at home quickly unraveled as the Colorado Rockies extended their hot streak with a gutsy 3–1 victory on the evening of June 18 at Nationals Park.

Colorado sent veteran right-hander Germán Márquez to the mound, matching him against Washington’s lefty Mitchell Parker in the penultimate game of the four-game series. The Nationals, desperate to halt one of their darkest stretches in recent memory, faced a Rockies team that had surprised many by ripping off three consecutive victories, including a 10–6 homestand bombathon the night before.

Márquez looked composed from pitch one. He weaved through 5 2/3 shutout innings, surrendering six hits with two strikeouts against just two walks. He thwarted multiple baserunners and kept traffic to a minimum thanks to stellar defensive plays in the field.

Opposing him, Parker also kept his team within striking distance as he helped silence Colorado’s bats early. A scoreless affair was finally snapped in the sixth when Michael Toglia blasted a solo home run to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead and continue the barrage that has continued through the series. He ended up striking out eight batters and, along with the rest of the Nationals’ pitching, did not issue a walk.

In the seventh inning, the Rockies extended their lead after Orlando Arcia ripped a triple and came in to score on a squeeze bunt by Ryan Ritter to make it a 2-0 Rockies advantage. Though Washington answered in the bottom of the seventh via James Wood’s run-scoring double, Colorado’s bats responded immediately, as Jordan Beck blasted his first homer in a month to make it a 3-1 final score as Seth Halvorsen secured his fifth save of the year in the ninth.

Colorado’s victory improves their record to 17–57 overall, extending their win streak to four games and just their second series win of the season. They will aim for the sweep on Thursday with Chase Dollander on the mound. The Nationals, now 30–44, remain in crisis mode, having lost 11 games in a row now