First, the ugly small picture.
The Rockies lost 11-4 to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Field as the D-backs completed a three-game sweep and won their season-high sixth straight game.
Colorado rookie starter Tanner Gordon failed to get out of the first inning, the Rockies committed three errors over the first two innings and hit four batters, while D-backs’ right-hander Jordan Montgomery (who entered the game with a 6.37 ERA) dominated Colorado for five of his six innings.
After the Rockies cut Arizona’s lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth, Eugenio Suarez hit a grand slam off reliever Riley Pint in the bottom of the frame to ice the game. Pint, the fourth overall pick in 2016, hit two batters and walked another before Suarez clobbered a first-pitch slider for the slam.
Pint’s inability to command his fastball allowed Suarez to ambush the slider. In his limited time this season (four games, 3 1/3 innings), Pint has a 21.60 ERA.
Now for the ugly big picture:
These are two National League West teams heading in opposite directions. Arizona (69-53) lost 110 games in 2021, was a surprise World Series team last year, and is threatening to overtake the mighty Dodgers in the NL West this season. The D-backs have won 24 of their last 30 games.
The Rockies (44-78) lost a franchise-high 102 games last season and are on pace to lose 104 this season. Since 2023, the D-backs are 18-5 against the Rockies, including 12-2 at Chase.
“Obviously, they outplayed us, and we shot ourselves in the foot a number of times,” Rockies manager Bud Black told Rockies.TV. “That’s the way you look at it. We didn’t play a very clean game — early in the game.
“And the pitching wasn’t crisp all day long. Some of our younger pitchers just did not throw enough good pitches. And their inexperience showed up today.”
Gordon was coming off an excellent start against the Padres in San Diego when he allowed one run on one hit over six innings in a game the Rockies eventually lost, 3-2. But he started Wednesday’s game with a leadoff walk to Corbin Carroll, followed by a single by Jake McCarthy and an RBI double down the right-field line by Joc Pederson. The damage from Pederson’s double was compounded when first baseman Michael Toglia threw the ball into left field for a two-run error.
Colorado’s first-inning mess continued when catcher Jacob Stalling was called for catcher’s interference, allowing Josh Bell to reach first. Add in a hit by pitch and two walks — one to force in a run — and Gordon’s day was done after two-thirds of an inning.
“His stuff just wasn’t quite as sharp,” Black said. “Tanner had his struggles, there is no doubt, putting guys away with two strikes. He’d only walked (three) few guys in his first five starts, and he walked two in one inning.”
There were a couple of bright spots for Colorado. Toglia hit 2 for 4 with a double, and left fielder Jordan Beck made a terrific catch to rob Adrian Del Castillo of a home run in the eighth.
The Rockies are off on Thursday before opening a three-game series against the Padres on Friday at Coors Field.
Pitching probables
Thursday: Off
Friday: Padres RHP Matt Waldron (7-9, 4.00 ERA) at Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (7-8, 4.56), 6:40 p.m.
Saturday: Padres RHP Dylan Cease (11-9, 3.41) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.75), 6:10 p.m.
Sunday: Padres RHP Joe Musgrove (3-4, 5.20) at Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (0-0, 4.05), 1:10 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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Originally Published: August 14, 2024 at 5:04 p.m.
