Nolasco takes loss despite complete game

Published Aug. 16, 2012 11:37 p.m. ET

foxsports

DENVER (AP) -- Ricky Nolasco was nearly perfect through five innings and appeared to be on his way to a much-needed win.

A pair of misplaced sliders proved to be the downfall for Nolasco and the Miami Marlins.

Michael Cuddyer homered in the sixth inning to tie the game, and pinch-hitter Jeff Rutledge hit an opposite-field triple in the seventh to put Colorado in front en route to the streaking Rockies' 5-3 win on Thursday night.

"You make good pitches all night and then make a couple of mistakes and that's the game," said Nolasco, who pitched his first complete game of the season but lost for the sixth time in seven starts. "I just couldn't finish the job."

Nolasco (9-12) allowed five runs and nine hits. He struck out seven and walked one in eight innings to post his seventh career complete game.

Carlos Lee and Giancarlo Stanton homered for the Marlins, who have lost six of eight.

Nolasco had fanned Cuddyer twice on sliders, but he couldn't get him with the same pitch a third time.

Trailing by two, the Rockies tied it in the sixth. Carlos Gonzalez reached on a bunt single and Cuddyer followed with a two-run homer, his 16th of the season.

"I made two good sliders to him, but obviously, I didn't get that one down in the sixth," Nolasco said. "I left it over the middle of the plate and he's not going to miss that too often."

Colorado went ahead in the seventh when D.J. LeMahieu singled and then scored on Rutledge's triple. Eric Young Jr. put down a squeeze bunt up the first base line, scoring Rutledge and giving the Rockies a 5-3 lead.

"It was down, but it wasn't a good 0-2 pitch with a guy on third base with less than two outs," Nolasco said.

Adam Ottavino (4-1) earned the win in relief of Alex White. Rafael Betancourt tossed a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.

The Marlins scored first on Lee's leadoff homer in the second inning, his seventh. The Rockies tied it in the bottom of the inning when LeMahieu tripled with two outs and scored on a wild pitch.

Miami went back ahead in the fourth when Lee walked, went to third on Greg Dobbs' single, and scored on a wild pitch.

Stanton made it 3-1 with a leadoff homer off Ottavino in the sixth. It was his 22nd of the season.

"Overall, Nolasco pitched well, and when they tied the game we weren't able to come back," Miami manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Their bullpen did a good job, and we couldn't do anything about it."

NOTES: Marlins C Rob Brantly's double in the sixth was his first major league hit, but he made a critical throwing error in the seventh inning. ... Stanton has homered in each of the four career games he has played at Coors Field. ... Miami 3B Greg Dobbs is 2-for-18 in his last eight games at Colorado. ... Marlins LHP Wade LeBlanc (1-2) will face Colorado's Jeff Francis (4-4) on Friday.