Diamondbacks 14, Rockies 4: We love you Peralta

I'm not sure it's safe to say at this point that David Peralta is the real deal, but he sure has been fun to watch these last 50+ games. After yet another multi-hit game and five RBI with a grand slam in Saturday's mashing of the Rockies, it's easy to see why Arizona is so high on their rookie outfielder. As it stand right now, it wouldn't be surprising to see Peralta take home the National League ROY award if he keeps up the pace. For what it's worth, he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.

Back to the game, Trevor Cahill got off to a rocky start in the first inning. Despite getting the first two batters he faced with relative ease, Cahill walked the next and allowed an RBI double to Nolan Arenado for the Rockies to take an early lead. Immediately after that, Corey Dickerson hit a weak grounder to first and the exchange between Mark Trumbo and Cahill went south for the Rockies to score one more.

Cliff Pennington singled with one out in the bottom half and then stole second to get in scoring position for David Peralta. When you’re on fire like Peralta has been, everything seems to go your way. Even when he got fooled on an off-speed pitch, he was able to stay back long enough and extend his swing to hook it down the first base line to cut the Colorado lead in half.

The Rockies added another in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly from Arenado.

Things turned around in the bottom of the third for the D-backs. With one out in the inning, Ender Inciarte and Cliff Pennington had back-to-back hits, the latter being a double. After Peralta Mark Trumbo then stepped up and delivered the long-awaited home run; a three-run blast to left to give Arizona the lead. Up until that at-bat, he had gone 89 plate appearances without a home run. Maybe this will get him going.

Trevor Cahill was stellar once he settled down. He found command of his sinker, had control of the strike zone, and the result was four scoreless innings after the third.

The score stayed 4-3 up until the bottom of the seventh when Alfredo Marte added a bit of insurance with a solo shot to left off of reliever Tommy Kahnle.

Arenado cut the lead back to one in the top of the eighth when he hit a solo home run of his own off of Brad Ziegler.

The first two batters in the D-backs eighth reached safely, then moved to second and third on a past ball for Trumbo yet again. There wasn’t a bomb this time, though he did still manage to put a weak grounder in play and force a throwing error from Arenado at third, which ended up scoring both Pennington and Peralta to extend the lead to three.  The D-backs added another in the inning on an Aaron Hill sacrifice fly to score Trumo from third, 8-4. After a double (combined with an error to send him to third) off the bat of Tuffy Gosewisch to right center, Didi Gregorious singled him home to add one more.

And before you knew it, after one more crossed on a bases loaded walk, Peralta stepped up to the plate and smashed a grand slam to right behind the pool for his fifth RBI of the game and the ninth run of the inning.

Matt Stites came on to close the game out and the D-backs secured the series win. Wade Miley takes on Franklin Morales tomorrow in the finale as Arizona goes for the sweep.

GDT: Congrats to GuruB.

p.s., the Rockies suck.