CINCINNATI -- Not that he wanted it that way, but Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez proved Saturday that a pitcher can have a rotten day without giving up a home run.

The Reds bested Márquez for nine runs and 12 hits in the Rockies’ 10-3 loss at Great American Ball Park. One night before, in the same place, the Reds pounded Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland for a club record-tying five home runs.

Márquez’s rough outing -- after he had sparkled to a 1.89 ERA in his previous six starts -- wasn’t quite as historic, but still notable. It marked the second time this season a Rockies starter had yielded nine runs without giving up a homer. Austin Gomber coughed up nine with no homers at San Francisco on April 26.

“It’s baseball -- bloopers, [two] walks … I didn’t have that luck today,” said Márquez, who didn’t set his feet and committed a throwing error trying to start a double play with no outs in the sixth against the final hitter he faced.

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Márquez also didn’t have consistent location on his slider and fastball, which was a problem for a team in need of better. Assured of a losing road trip at 1-4, the Rockies fell to 5-26 overall, tied with the 2005 club for the worst 36-game road start in franchise history. The ‘05 squad didn’t win its sixth road game until the 37th try, and finished 27-54 away from Coors Field.

Additionally, a rotation that has been a strength through a rough season has struggled the last three games. Before Márquez and Freeland’s poor outings in Cincinnati, Chi Chi González gave up eight runs in five innings of Thursday’s 11-4 loss at Miami.

“They singled him to death; some soft hits, some line drives,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of Márquez. “Germán’s stuff was solid. There were just too many balls in and around the middle part of the plate where they were able to get bat to the ball.

“His fastball had its normal velocity, but he wasn't [hitting] his spots nearly as much as he needed [to]. And the slider, you know, I think was good, but the frequency of the good ones was not there.”

Márquez flashed enough quality stuff to strike out five batters. Only two hits went for extra bases, although one was particularly damaging -- Tucker Barnhart’s two-run double in the fifth, which helped spur the Reds from two outs and nobody on to three runs on four hits in that frame.

So efficient was the Reds’ offense that even pitcher Wade Miley -- who gave up three second-inning runs but no further scoring in his seven innings -- reached three times against Márquez on two singles and a walk.

Before Saturday, the Rockies hadn’t scored a run with Márquez on the mound in any of his first four road starts. The three-run second inning not only ended that streak, but it gave Márquez a one-run lead.

This time, Márquez couldn’t support his offense.

“Rough outing,” Márquez said. “I have to take that outing off my brain and be ready for the next one.”