The Rockies ended a disappointing, offense-depleted stretch of games last night, exploding for 10 runs in a 10-0 beat-down of the Florida Marlins.

The game—recapped via The Sports Network—was important for several reasons. The most significant is pitcher Jeff Francis bouncing back under pressure of possibly losing his job.

Francis, who missed the entire last year with a shoulder injury and surgery, returned this season to mixed results and was on the bubble of being sent back to the minors. Instead, the Canadian pitcher threw his best game of the year last night, pushing the pressure off for at least a little while.

“I think it’s as good as I have thrown [since surgery],” Francis tells The Denver Post. “I threw a lot of strikes, and I had a curveball that really hasn’t shown up in the last month.”

Francis pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just three hits (see the MLB.com box score).

Meanwhile, the Rockies are still waiting for draft pick Kyle Parker to either sign his contract or head back to Clemson University to continue playing football. WJBF TV in Augusta, Georgia, reports that Parker will return to school but may also sign a contract with the Rockies that would allow him to do both.

Purple Row thinks the prospective outfielder isn’t all that good to begin with, and allowing him to spend additional time on the football field will only dilute the baseball talent he does have.