German Marquez leaves start with forearm tightness

Rockies hurler Germán Márquez left tonight’s win over the Cardinals after just five innings and 62 pitches. He’d come out to warm up in the sixth but called out the trainer and gestured toward the outside of his forearm. Postgame, manager Bud Black called the issue forearm tightness (link via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post).

It’s far too early for the Rox to have a definitive diagnosis. Black expressed hope the issue isn’t serious and didn’t rule out the possibility of Márquez making his next start. Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweets that Márquez also downplayed his concern, though he noted he’s also experienced some forearm tightness between his starts. Whether he’ll be able to avoid the injured list will be clearer after he undergoes further evaluation tomorrow.

Forearm tightness is an ominous diagnosis for any pitcher. It can be a precursor to ligament or muscular damage in the forearm/elbow area. That doesn’t inherently mean Márquez’s issue is serious, of course, but it’ll be cause for concern for Colorado until there’s more clarity on what’s causing the discomfort.

Márquez is the top pitcher on the Rockies’ staff. He’s allowed eight runs in 16 1/3 innings this season but struck out 13 while issuing only two walks. The Venezuelan-born hurler had a down 2022 season, allowing nearly five earned runs per nine over 31 starts. Between 2017-21, he worked to a 4.25 ERA with an above-average 24% strikeout rate.

Rotation depth is a major concern for Colorado. Antonio Senzatela is still recovering from last summer’s torn ACL. Beyond Márquez and Kyle Freeland, the Rox currently have José Ureña, Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber rounding out the starting five. Ureña and Feltner, in particular, have been hit hard in their first two starts. Long reliever Connor Seabold and Peter Lambert appear to be the top options to step into the rotation should Márquez miss any time.