Carlos Estevez, Rockies Continue to Struggle Against Arizona

According to legend, St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, never to be seen again on the Emerald Isle. The Colorado Rockies and Carlos Estevez would be smart to find someone who could pull the same magic with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks once again brought misery to LoDo last night, rallying in the ninth for a 10-9 victory over the Rockies. It was Colorado’s third straight loss to Arizona and pushed the Diamondbacks ahead of the Rockies in the National League West standings.

At 4 hours and 30 minutes, it was the longest nine-inning game in National League history. Helping extend the game was the fact that the teams combined to use 16 pitchers. To Rockies fans, it felt more like an eternity. Think about some of these numbers that came out of last night’s game…

Rockies pitchers gave up 14 hits on Saturday night and have allowed 11 or more hits in their last six games against the Diamondbacks

Colorado went 4-for-26 with runners in scoring position. The 26 at-bats with runners in scoring position are tied for the second-most all-time and the most since April 11, 2012 against the San Francisco Giants.

The Rockies left 16 runners on base, the most since September 19, 2013 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In a back-and-forth game, the Rockies retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth with a four-run outburst, capped by a pinch-hit RBI single by Carlos Gonzalez. Colorado’s lead and excitement, however, didn’t last long.

Carlos Estevez gave up two runs in the ninth, marking the second consecutive game against Arizona that he’s allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth inning. A closer look at statistics shows that Estevez has had trouble with the Diamondbacks all season.

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In all, Colorado’s closer (for now, at least) has faced Arizona five times this season and hasn’t allowed a run in only one of those outings (May 1, when he pitched a mere third of an inning). The Diamondbacks have torched Estevez for six runs and nine hits in just four innings pitched, giving him an ERA of 13.50 against Colorado’s foes from the desert.

Additionally, Arizona has two of the four homers that Estevez has given up this season.

The only other team to match Arizona’s penchant for scoring against Estevez is San Francisco. Against the Giants in five outings, Estevez has an ERA of 15.00, giving up five runs and five hits (including a home run) in three innings pitched.

Take those two teams out of the equation and Carlos Estevez has allowed just two runs in 19.1 innings pitched.

While Arizona may be a thorn in the Rockies’ side, they are certainly a problem for Estevez. It’s also a problem that the 23-year-old closer has three blown saves in his seven opportunities this season.

Colorado faces some questions soon in its bullpen, especially with the news that Jake McGee will likely be starting a rehabilitation assignment soon. McGee, who has three blown saves in 18 opportunities this season, will no doubt get a look at regaining his closer job when he returns from the disabled list.

Next: The Case for Jake McGee as Colorado's Closer

Carlos Estevez has amazing potential and has shown flashes of brilliance this season. However, against the Diamondbacks and Giants, the man the Rockies believe can be a Superman closer of the future is in fact a mere mortal.