Diamondbacks 8 @ Rockies 5

Record: 60-60

NL West: Not Last, Not First

NL Wild Card: Close; Closer would be nice

The first was quiet for both teams with a Carroll single the only offense. Mantiply managed to get three outs without a baserunner... Jarvis debuted in the second for Arizona! He pitched very well, retiring all three batters on 10 pitches. The Diamondbacks’ near success came to fruition in the third as Walker hit a 2-run home run, scoring Pham who’d singled a batter earlier (2-0). Blackmon got an RBI groundout against Jarvis in the third (2-1). Jarvis pitched well, but some of the contact just wasn’t enough to get outs.

The fourth and fifth were fairly quiet innings. Jarvis got some help with excellent defense in the fifth. Unfortunately, the Arizona bats were also being shut down by Blach... Until Carroll, Pham and Walker worked 3-ball counts (Corbin and Christian both walked while Pham just missed a home run). Nothing came of the opportunity, but Blach was worked HARD in the top of the fifth. Gilbert replaced Jarvis and gave up a double to Nolan Jones but assisted in getting him out at third trying to sneak an extra 90 feet! Colorado tied the game off Gilbert in the sixth with a Blackmon triple and McMahon groundout (2-2). Luis Frias took over as a result, finishing the inning without incident.

The seventh was exciting with Perdomo getting to second on some special Rockie defense, then Marte earning the easiest walk of all time. But Carroll made an unbelievably questionable choice to bunt no matter what and popped out on a 3-0 count... Then Pham grounded out so feebly he probably could’ve beaten the throw if he’d sprinted, but he at least advanced the runners. Then a bad throw from home to third went wild, scoring Perdomo, but Marte got greedy and was thrown out at the plate to end the inning (3-2). Colorado did a better job than Arizona in their seventh though. Two doubles, a stolen base and home run scored 3 runs (5-3). All with one out. Frias got out of the inning, but he left in line for the loss. After a not-unexciting Arizona eighth, Ginkel took the ball. His inning was blissfully devoid of entertainment for the home crowd. Thomas, Perdomo and Marte hit some life into the Snakes, tying the game in the ninth with zero outs (5-5) on three consecutive hits and solid base running. After an unproductive Carroll out, Pham snuck a ball down the line and scored Marte for the lead (6-5)! Walker flew out for the third time tonight, but Gurriel singled Pham home (7-5) before Colorado changed pitchers. Gurriel then stole his fourth base off Kinley/Diaz! Which was highly important as Peterson singled him home on what would have been a close play if Diaz had held onto the ball (8-5). Moreno almost made the inning even more exciting, but the Colorado air decided to end the Rockies’ suffering at the wall.

Sewald got the save opportunity. He gave up 3 singles to the first 4 batters... But somehow managed to slip through Blackmon and Tovar without incident, securing another DIAMONDBACKS WIN!

Conclusion

Well. It was a Coors Field Game for sure. Some early opportunities slipped by the offense, but a fire was lit late in the night, allowing some good old fashioned small ball to triumph over those pesky Mountain Men. Jarvis looked pretty decent in his MLB debut, which must feel pretty excellent with his family in attendance! And even the Mantiply wasn’t detrimental tonight!

That said, this is definitely a game that should have been put away earlier given the quality of defense Colorado showcased. A win is a win, but the fight was harder than it needed to be against a true cellar dweller.

Fangraphs

Comment of the Day

Everyone loves a good sentimental story. With the embedded tweet, I couldn’t grab the whole thing. So if you’re curious, GuruB had 6 likes for this gem.

Up Next

The illustrious TBD of Arizona (?.?? ERA, ?.?? WHIP, ??%K, ?? HR/9) will take the Mountain Mound against Austin Gomber (5.33 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 15%K, 1.58 HR/9) who was the “centerpiece” of the Nolan Arenado trade.