German Marquez combined with two relievers on a three-hitter Sunday afternoon, and Brian Serven's seventh-inning sacrifice fly provided the only run in a 1-0 win for the Colorado Rockies over the host New York Mets.
The win salvaged the finale of a four-game series and snapped a four-game losing streak for the Rockies, who won for just the fourth time in 14 games. The Mets, who entered Sunday with a three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, have split their last eight games.
Marquez (7-10) allowed one hit -- Jeff McNeil's clean single to right leading off the fifth -- and walked two while striking out five over seven innings. He lasted at least six innings for the 10th straight start.
McNeil was the lone runner to advance beyond first base against Marquez, who balked him to second with one out before retiring Brett Baty on a flyout to center. Marquez walked Daniel Vogelbach with one out in the seventh before getting McNeil to fly out and inducing Mark Canha to ground out.
Carlos Estevez allowed a one-out single to Baty in the eighth. Pete Alonso singled off Daniel Bard in the ninth before Bard earned his 27th save.
Max Scherzer (9-4) fell short in his second attempt at earning career win No. 200 and took the hard-luck defeat for the Mets after allowing the lone run on four hits and one walk while striking out 11 in seven innings.
Scherzer allowed a two-out single to Charlie Blackmon in the first and just two more baserunners -- he hit Randal Grichuk in the second and walked Sam Hilliard in the fifth -- before the Rockies built their lead in the seventh. After surrendering singles to C.J. Cron, Jose Iglesias and Randal Grichuk to open the frame, Scherzer whiffed Hilliard before Cron easily scored on Serven's flyout.
Blackmon and Grichuk had two hits apiece. Grichuk had the game's only extra-base hit, a ninth-inning double.
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