, who had a breakout 17-win season in 2018, retired his first 11 batters before Starlin Castro lined a single. The only other hit the left-hander allowed was a pinch-hit home run by J. T Riddle leading off the sixth inning.Neil Walker also hit a pinch-hit homer in his first at-bat for Miami. Teammate Jorge Alfaro homered with two out in the ninth.Colorado's Nolan Arenado began earning his new $260 million, eight-year contract when he doubled to start the fourth and scored the first run off Jose Urena (0-1). Trevor Story homered, and David Dahl had three hits and scored twice.That was plenty of support for Freeland, who struck out five and threw 93 pitches. He committed a throwing error but also made a nifty barehanded grab on the run to cover first for a 3-1 putout.It was the kind of start the Rockies had in mind as they seek their third consecutive trip to playoffs, and the first NL West title in franchise history.And it was what the Rockies have come to expect with Freeland. They've won 16 of his 18 regular-season starts since July 2.One downer for Colorado: Charlie Blackmon and newcomer Daniel Murphy each went 0 for 5 at the top of the order.Urena lost on opening day for the second year in a row. He allowed six runs, four earned, in 4 2/3 innings.The Marlins are off to a 0-1 start for the fifth consecutive year, and despite a rebranding that includes new colors and a new logo, they could be headed for their 10th losing season in a row.MARLINS LSESThe crowd was booing by the fourth inning, when Miami shortstop Miguel Rojas made a wild throw to first and center fielder Lewis Brinston let a single elude him, allowing a runner to score from first.Earlier, catcher Alfaro was slow to pursue a pitch that bounced away from him, which permitted a runner to advance.Derek Jeter, beginning his second season as the Marlins' CEO, watched the start of the game from the second row but was out of there by the fourth.DIFFERENT LOOKThe game drew a crowd of 25,423 at Marlins Park, where the outfield wall is now navy instead of a garish green, and the widely disliked home sculpture has been replaced by a tiered, standing-room-only area.With rain in the area, the retractable roof was closed.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies: Before the game, they placed LHP Chris Rusin (mid-back strain) and RHP Antonio Senzatela (blister infection, right heel) on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 25.Marlins: Dahl hit a line drive off Urena's left leg in the second inning, prompting a visit to the mound by Miami's trainer.UP NEXTRHP German Marquez (14-11, 3.77 in 2018) is scheduled to start Friday for the Rockies against RHP Trevor Richards (4-9, 4.42).---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Absent expectations, Marlins open 2019 vs. Rockies The first pitch Jose Urena of the Miami Marlins threw in the 2018 season was belted for a home run by Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs.Miami lost that game 8-4 and dropped a total of 98 contests, landing the Marlins in last place in the National League and out of the playoffs for the 15th consecutive year.Of course, the last time the Marlins made the playoffs -- in 2003 -- they won the World Series. And the only other time they made the playoffs -- in 1997 -- they won the World Series that year, too.It's an incredibly odd history, and who knows what will happen Thursday afternoon when the Marlins play host to the Colorado Rockies in the 2019 season opener.What we do know is that the Marlins engineered yet another sell-off after the 2017 season, dumping salaries of most of their best players, including league MVP Giancarlo Stanton. One of the players they traded, outfielder Christian Yelich, went on to win NL MVP honors in 2018.So what did the Marlins do for an encore this winter?They dumped yet another salary, of course, trading catcher J. T. Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins deserve credit for developing Realmuto, who was a shortstop in high school. Miami drafted him in the third round in 2010, and he became known as one of the best all-around catchers in the game.Now he's gone, and Urena -- who will make his second Opening Day start -- will throw to former Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro, a raw talent with one of the strongest arms in the game.Things are much more stable in Colorado, where the Rockies are coming off a 91-72 season, which landed them in the playoffs as a wild card. The Rockies beat the Cubs in the knockout game, but then lost 3-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.It was just the Rockies' fifth playoff appearance and the first time they had qualified in consecutive seasons. They have yet to win a World Series, though they reached the big stage in 2007.Colorado's season opens with great optimism as left-hander Kyle Freeland takes the mound, facing Miami for the first time. It's also Freeland's first Opening Day start, but he is coming off a career year in which he went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA.Freeland, 25, is a hometown hero. The Denver native was Colorado's first-round pick in 2014, and he blossomed in his second major league season.He finished fourth in the Cy Young Award race, using a cut fastball to limit hard contact. His ERA last year set a franchise record for a full-season starter.Urena, meanwhile, throws hard but not always accurately. He tied for the league lead in hit batters in 2017 with 14 and hit 12 more last season.He went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA in his breakout season of 2017. Last season, he pitched in poor luck and went 9-12 with a solid 3.98 ERA.However, Urena finished the 2018 season in impressive fashion, going 5-0 with a sparkling 1.20 ERA in September.As for the lineups, Colorado added free-agent first baseman Daniel Murphy to a core that includes superstar Nolan Arenado at third and 2018 All-Star shortstop Trevor Story.Leadoff batter/right fielder Charlie Blackmon has hit at least 29 homers and scored at least 111 runs in each of the past three years. Arenado has averaged 40 homers and 126 RBIs over the past four years and has won six straight Gold Gloves. And Story led the league in extra-base hits last year, just the third shortstop in NL history to accomplish that feat."Colorado is a great place," said Arenado after signing an eight-year, $260 million contract extension in February. "You want to win in a place where you have been your entire career." Miami's offense will be led by veteran second baseman Starlin Castro and a bunch of young hitters such as third baseman Brian Anderson and center fielder Lewis Brinson.Anderson led all NL rookies last year with 87 runs scored, but Brinson has failed to live up to lofty expectations, hitting .189 in 130 major league games."He's got capabilities of being a middle-of-the-order guy," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Brinson. "He's got to get consistent at-bats." --Field Level Media
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