DENVER -- When your offense carries a big stick en route to scoring 13 runs, it's not a bad thing to have your starting pitcher speak softly as he goes about the business of making history.
Rockies starter German Marquez quietly put together an 11-strikeout night, allowing just one earned run in the shadow of the Rockies' biggest offensive output in two months, with Trevor Story's sixth home run in the last seven games and David Dahl's first career grand slam leading the way to a 13-2 defeat of the D-backs.

The win made a huge statement as the Rockies reversed the momentum after losing the series rubber match to the Dodgers on Sunday, and it lengthened Colorado's lead in the National League West to 1 1/2 games over Los Angeles and 3 1/2 games over Arizona.
Marquez scrawled his name all over the Rockies' record book with his surging presence on the mound. It marked his third consecutive game with double-digit strikeouts, one shy of Pedro Astacio's franchise-best four games in 2000, and it broke Astacio's record for strikeouts in a four-game span with 44.
"I know Pedro really well," Marquez said. "He's given me really good advice. It means a lot to me. But at the end of the day, it's already in the past and you've got to continue to move forward and turn the page."

The 23-year-old right-hander has made himself a core part of a rotation that is on pace to be the most successful one in team history. The Rockies are now 10-3 over his last 13 starts, and he boasts 83 strikeouts and a 2.13 ERA over his last nine starts.
"There's no doubt he's pitched with a lot of confidence," manager Bud Black said. "When it's his day, especially the way he's throwing, we feel good. Here in the second half, he's been outstanding, and he's kept it going. Good for him. He's done a great job and he's come a long way in a short period of time when you're talking about a guy who hopefully has a long, long career."

Marquez's dominant Coors Field pitching performance came just when the Rockies needed it, following a start when Tyler Anderson couldn't get out of the third inning in a tough loss to the Dodgers on Sunday.
"Awesome," Story said of the dominant win. "Awesome job by German. He's nasty, man. It seems like when we need a win, he comes up there and gives his best effort. One or two runs, a lot of strikeouts, giving us a good chance to win. He's been huge for us, along with a lot of our other guys too. Happy we could put some runs up for him, too."
The offense had been somewhat silent over the first four innings, scattering four hits and doing no damage as D-backs starter Zack Godley flirted with danger before finally finding it in the fifth. The Rockies exploded for six runs, driving Godley from the game after he couldn't retire any of the first five batters he faced. Story broke it open with a three-run towering shot into the D-backs' center-field bullpen.

Two innings later, the Rockies topped their six-run outburst with a seven-run seventh, piling on as they hit around the order with at least one run scored by all nine starters in the lineup.
"It's fun, it's contagious," Story said. "Hitting's really hard. When you have a night like tonight, it's fun. You just try to ride it out as long as possible. Having good at-bats can carry over to the next guy, too."

If the game wasn't already out of reach, Dahl's seventh-inning slam into the second deck in right was the exclamation point at the end of the Rockies' statement.
"It was way inside," Dahl said of the fastball he hit off reliever Matt Andriese. "I think it would have hit me in the knee. Somehow I hit it."
It was the most runs the Rockies scored since they plated 19 in a July 11 game at home against the D-backs -- with Marquez on the mound for the win.
NO CARGO?
Carlos Gonzalez was out of the lineup for a second straight day, but the right fielder had a simple explanation.
"I think maybe it's just the numbers I have," Gonzalez said, emphasizing that's he's perfectly healthy.
Gonzalez, who was 0-for-10 against Godley, is tied for the club lead for the most home runs against Tuesday's starter, Zack Greinke, with five (tied with Story and former Rockie Jason Giambi), so look for him in to be back in the lineup.
HE SAID IT
"All we're focusing on is winning each pitch, each inning, each game. We're not thinking of the past. We're not thinking of the future. We're just trying to win each pitch, each inning. Each pitch is so important. You only get so many pitches each game, and we're just trying to be in the moment and do our job, and that's to get wins every game. That's all we need." -- Tony Wolters, on the impact of the all-encompassing team win

UP NEXT
Antonio Senzatela gets the call Tuesday for the second game of a four-game home set with the D-backs, and he'll face off with Greinke at 6:40 p.m. MT. Senzatela kept Colorado in it against the Giants for five solid innings Wednesday, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six in a Rockies win. He has given up three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.