The Colorado Rockies have departed sunny Tampa, Florida for the rainy City of Brotherly Love for their second series of the 2025 season. The Philadelphia Phillies will try to squeeze their home opener in between showers for the first of three games against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.
Making the start for the Rockies is the right-handed veteran Germán Márquez. Truly healthy for the first time since early in the 2023 season, Márquez has a lot to prove in 2025. Most of all, he’ll be trying to find out where his baseball future lies. Márquez is in the final year of his contract with the Rockies and is due a number of incentives based on performance. If he pitches well there could be either an extension or a trade in his near future.
For his part, Márquez says he’s not thinking about any of that.
“I don’t want to think about it,” Márquez told Thomas Harding in February. “I just want to do my job and do my best for the team.”
Márquez made five starts and pitched 15 2⁄3 innings in spring training with a 5.74 ERA and ten strikeouts to eight walks. He also gave up three home runs. However, those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt as veteran pitchers are often tinkering and adjusting during those games. It might also take some time for a pitcher who hasn’t regularly seen the mound since 2023 to round into form.
The Rockies’ all-time strikeouts leader has a largely unchanged arsenal heading into 2025. His primary pitch will be a four seam fastball in the mid-to-high 90s with a slider and knuckle curve as his main breaking pitches. He can also mix in a changeup and sinker as needed.
“This year, I feel so good, man,” Márquez said. “I’m excited to keep going.”
On the bump for the Fightin’ Phils is the left-handed Christopher Sánchez. Sánchez is coming off a fantastic 2024 season in which he was named an All-Star and earned some National League Cy Young votes. In 31 starts and 181 2⁄3 innings he posted a 3.32 ERA with a 3.00 FIP, recorded 153 strikeouts to just 44 walks, and pitched two complete games—including a complete game shutout.
Sánchez ranked in the league’s top percentile for ground ball rate and chase rate last season, while also ranking highly for avoiding walks, barrels, and hard hit balls. His primary pitch is a sinker averaging 94.5 MPH, but the damage comes from his breaking pitches. Both his slider and changeup caused a whiff rate above 30% in 2024 and are his primary put-away pitches.
In 15 2⁄3 career innings against the Rockies over three starts, Sánchez has a 2.87 ERA with 18 strikeouts to four walks. The Rockies have yet to hit a home run against him.
First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. MT
TV: Rockies.tv
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM, KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)
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