Rockies’ bullpen delivers again in 5-4 win over Marlins

The starting rotation has taken the Rockies on a roller coaster ride this season, but the bullpen has mostly been steady and dependable.

It was again Tuesday night in the Rockies’ 5-4 win over the Marlins before an announced crowd of 19,470 at Coors Field. Jake Bird, Brent Stuter and Pierce Johnson held off the Marlins for 3 1/3 innings as the Rockies beat Miami in LoDo for the 10th time in the last 11 games.

Johnson gave up a run in the ninth and found some trouble but held on to notch his 10th save in 10 chances.

The Rockies remained the only team in the majors with an undefeated record when leading after seven innings. They are now 19-0.

The trio picked up Austin Gomber, who delivered a solid start, pitching into the sixth inning. The lefty has notched a win in four of his last five starts, posting a 3.74 ERA, with the Rockies going 5-1 over that span.

There was history at work Tuesday night. At 20 years, 38 days old, Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez became the youngest pitcher to ever start a game at Coors Field. What’s more, his matchup against Colorado shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (21 years, 295 days) was the youngest batter-pitcher matchup in Rockies history featuring either a Rockies pitcher or a Rockies batter.

Perez, making his third big-league start, certainly has impressive stuff, but the Rockies got to him in the fifth inning. All told he gave up four runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three.

Colorado took a 5-1 lead with a four-run fourth, highlighted by Charlie Blackmon’s RBI double to score Michael Toglia, who led off with a walk. Blackmon’s double was the 298th of his career, moving him past Hall of Famer Larry Walker and into second place for the most doubles in Rockies history. Topping that chart, of course, is Todd Helton, who hit 592.

Randal Grichuk’s two-run single and Ryan McMahon’s run-scoring groundout completed Colorado’s scoring.

Gomber only gave up four hits, but two of those hits cleared the fences.

The Marlins’ first homer was a 465-foot no-doubter by Jorge Soler in the first inning. He parked Gomber’s first-pitch fastball into the trees beyond center field. Miami’s second homer was a 387-foot flyball to right by Garrett Cooper in the sixth that just cleared the right-field wall. The two-run homer cut Colorado’s lead to 5-2.

Lamet a starter? Right-hander Dinelson Lamet is scheduled to make a rehab start for Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday as the Rockies explore adding him to their injury-riddled starting rotation. He’s expected to throw 60-70 pitches for the Isotopes.

Lamet has been on the 15-day injured list with what the team called lower back stiffness.