MIAMI — This was no way to start a critical road trip. The Rockies arrived in south Florida well past midnight and were assaulted at Land Shark Stadium by stifling humidity and menacing pitcher Josh Johnson.
The Marlins ace turned Colorado into baseball’s version of the “Macarena,” a fleeting one-hit wonder for nearly seven innings. But the Rockies reacted as if they had been paroled when he left the game, creating drama in the ninth with Chris Iannetta’s three-run home run before falling 6-5 Friday, leaving the Marlins shoulder-to-shoulder with them in the wild-card race.
Colorado holds a 1 1/2 game lead over the Giants, loser to the Mets on Friday, and a two-game advantage over Florida.
This wasn’t so much a match as a mauling while Johnson was on the mound. Johnson struck out eight of the first 12 Rockies he faced. He finished with a career-high 11 Ks, and flirted with the fifth no-hitter in Marlins history.
With two outs in the seventh, Garrett Atkins broke up Johnson’s bid with a single, big swing. He hammered a full-count, 3-2 fastball into the left-field bleachers for his eighth home run and first off a right-hander since April 25.
There was nothing fluky about Johnson’s dominance. The burly right-hander regularly touched 97 miles per hour on the radar gun with his fastball. He fired a four-seamer that featured ridiculous late life, hopping as it hit catcher John Baker’s glove. To keep the Rockies off balance, he would cut the pitch, then mix in a nasty slider.
Atkins and Clint Barmes, who lined out to diving shortstop Hanley Ramirez to end the fifth, were the only Rockies to even hit the ball hard off the right-hander, who improved to 12-2 and officially entered the Cy Young race.
In contrast, the Rockies’ Jason Hammel delivered his second forgettable performance in his past three road starts. The right-hander struggled with fastball command, reaching a nadir when he walked Johnson on four pitches when all he wanted to do was bunt.
Hammel was gone after four innings, four runs and four walks. Adam Eaton, the new long reliever until Josh Fogg returns, helped preserve the bullpen with three innings of work.
Iannetta’s 14th home run through the wind and rain created anxious moments for the Marlins. But closer Leo Nuñez got pinch-hitter Todd Helton to fly to center for the final out.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
