Rockies 9, Diamondbacks 4: I see men left on base

D-backs go 1 for 14 with RISP as Rockies pull away

By Jack Sommers Aug 21, 2021, 12:42am EDT

RECORD 41-82, PACE 54-108

As one can see from the line score above, this was quite the see saw Coors Field game through the top of the 6th. Despite some squandered opportunities the Diamondbacks kept answering the Rockies back and were in the game. But those squandered opportunities started compounding, and ultimately they ended up 1 for 14 with Runners in Scoring Position and 13 left on base.

Tyler Gilbert pitched a decent game, despite giving up 9 hits. He left with the game tied after 5 innings, but a poor outing by Brett de Geus in the 6th and three tack on runs against Matt Peacock put the game away for Colorado.

Nick Ahmed had a tough day, going 0-5, failed to turn a key double play, and made an error in the 3 run Rockies 8th.

Here is your inning by inning recap:

T 1: Ketel Marte hit a one out double off the wall in left center. On the previous pitch he just missed a homer down the left field line that was ruled foul after video review. He was stranded however as Asdrubal Cabrera struck out on three pitches and Carson Kelly grounded out to short. .

B1: Brendan Rodgers singled to right with one out, breaking up the back to back no-hitter bid by Tyler Gilbert. Trevor Story flew out to right and Charlie Blackmon popped out to Nick Ahmed who had to race over to the third base line as defense was in the shift. Swirling winds impacted both balls.

T2: Pavin Smith walked, and with one out Josh Rojas singled to right, advancing Smith to 3^rd and extending his hitting streak to 8 games. Drew Ellis was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Gilbert. He tried the safety squeeze, but bunted too hard down the 3^rd base line, making it an easy force on Smith at home for the 2^nd out. Ahmed flew out to deep left and the D-backs left em loaded.

B2: Red Hot CJ Cron lined a single up the box to lead off the Rockies 2^nd. Ryan McMahon grounded to Ellis playing 2^nd base. He flipped backhanded to Ahmed. Ahmed’s throw pulled Walker off the bag but after video review McMahon was called out at first as Walker got his foot back down, completing the double play. After Walker missed a chance on a foul pop that blew back towards fair territory, Elias Diaz singled in the hole between short and 3^rd. That hurt, as Garrett Hampson followed with a homer that just cleared the wall in left center for a 2-0 Rockies lead.

T3: The Dbacks got those two runs back in the 3^rd. With two outs Kelly walked, Smith singled, Walker walked, and then Rojas hit a seeing eye ground ball into center to score Kelly and Smith. When you’re hot you’re hot. 2-2 Tie

B3: Trevor story hit a one out triple that hit the wall in right and caromed away from Smith. Charlie Blackmon singled into left center to score Story, giving Rockies the lead 3-2. Gilbert at 55 pitches through 3 innings.

T4: Ketel Marte lined a two out solo homer over the right field wall just as Steve Berthiaume was lamenting Ketel’s lack of power. Game tied 3-3. Gomber at 76 pitches through 4.

B4: Elias Diaz drew a leadoff walk, eventually moved to 2^nd on a sac bunt by Gomber, and scored on jam shot blooper into right by Connor Joe. 4-3 Rockies.

T5: The D-backs couldn’t answer back as Gomber recorded the first 1-2-3 inning of the night.

B5: Story was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and one out later Cron doubled him over to 3^rd with the Rockies 9^th hit of the game off Gilbert. But Gilbert got out of the inning when McMahon lined it right back to Tyler who snared it and threw over to 3^rd to double off Story and end the inning. That was the end of Gilbert’s night

Gilbert’s final line was 5 IP, 9 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a Coors field game and he kept his team in it. After the game he was clearly unhappy with his outing and didn’t want to make excuses. He used the cutter heavily this game and said his gameplan was to “split the plate” but he wasn’t able to execute as he’d have liked on the location and the cutter wasn’t biting. He also acknowledged the distractions of the No-Hitter were a bit difficult to deal with.

T6: Drew Ellis singled on a pop up that just got over Cron’s head. David Peralta pinch hit for Gilbert. Freight Train scalded a ball into the RCF gap for a triple and an RBI, tying the game at 4-4, and still nobody out. But Ahmed and Marte both struck out and Cabrera flew out to center on the first pitch. Coupled with the missed opportunity in the 2^nd, the D-backs are leaving too many runners on table.

B6: de Geus in to pitch, and Peralta stays in the game in LF, Rojas went to 2b, replacing Ellis

He walked Garrett Hampson with one out and Hampson stole 2^nd to get in scoring position for pinch hitter Sam Hilliard. Hilliard tripled on a sharply hit ball down the right field line into the corner that got past a diving Walker. Conor Joe then hit a double in the RCF gap to score Hilliard. Rockies up 6-4. Brendan Rodgers walked with de Geus yanking pitches wide one after another. Storey flew out to right and with 2 outs he was pulled for the lefty Miguel Aguilar to face Blackmon. He induced a ground out to end the inning.

T7: And here come the D-backs. Kelly walked and Smith singled to left, Kelly advancing to 3^rd on the hit. Christian Walker popped out to Brendan Rodgers behind second base for the first out. Rojas struck out. Pinch hitter Josh VanMeter took some tough pitches to draw the walk and load em up for Peralta. He hit a line shot up the middle, but Rodgers made a spectacular diving catch to rob at least 2 runs.

B7: Noe Ramiriez , fresh off the Covid IL, came on to pitch a scoreless 7^th inning, stranding a one out single by McMahon.

T8: Marte drew a one out walk and then Cabrera bounced a ball off the wall in right that Blackmon bobbled before throwing it back in. Marte stutter stepped, or just flat out pulled up, coming into 3^rd, then restarted and was thrown out at home on the relay. After the game Torey said that Ketel got hand signals from the third base coach....”He got a wheel, got a stop, and got a wheel again”. Torey challenged the call right away without waiting for Allen Cambell to give him a signal. He said he learned a valuable lesson from the situation last week up in San Francisco. But the out call was upheld on review. Kelly grounded out…another opportunity squandered.

B8: Matt Peacock pitching. Base hits by Tyler Motter and Brendan Rodgers, and an E6 by Ahmed loaded the bases for Blackmon with one out. Blackmon hit a sac fly scoring Motter and Cron hit a two run double, 9-4 Colorado.

T9: The Dbacks managed just a pop single by Walker in the 9th and nothing else

POST GAME AUDIO LINK TOREY LOVULLO AND TYLER GILBERT

Fangraphs Win Expectancy and Box Score