Colorado Rockies morning after: Offense awakens, ensuring series split, return to .500

The Colorado Rockies ensured that they would at least split their four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks by winning the first two games of the series.

While it wasn’t necessarily the best-played game by the Colorado Rockies in 2020, the Rockies won their second straight game, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 5-4, ensuring that they will have at least a series split in the four-game series and bringing the team back up to .500, at 15-15 through 50 percent of the season.

They had nine hits in the game as each Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Matt Kemp, and Josh Fuentes had two hits and Garrett Hampson had one hit. The Rockies also walked six times. They also stranded 11 runners on base, which is not a great number but five of those runners were stranded in the two innings that they scored multiple runs, so the Rockies at least took some advantage of the situations that they had.

German Marquez didn’t have his best control, as he threw 95 pitches in only five innings, allowing six hits, three runs, walking three, and striking out five. He left with the game tied at three but the Rockies scored two in the 7th inning.

The combination of Jairo Diaz, Carlos Estevez, and Tyler Kinley pitched well as in a combined three innings, they each allowed one baserunner (Diaz and Estevez allowed hits and Kinley had a walk) but they all did not allow a run.

The biggest issue was Rockies closer Daniel Bard, who made it interesting in the 9th inning. He walked Kole Calhoun to lead off the inning, who was out on a forceout two batters later by Starling Marte. Marte went to second in the next AB with defensive indifference. That cost the Rockies as David Peralta scored him in that at-bat with a single to left fielder Raimel Tapia.

Bard then proceeded to hit Christian Walker and walked Eduardo Escobar to load the bases but then he struck Nick Ahmed out to end the game and leave them loaded. Bard threw 32 pitches in the inning but he got out of it with the save.

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Other notes from the game

Charlie Blackmon returned to the starting lineup after missing Monday’s game due to a tight left quad. He saw his batting average dip under .400, as it’s now .395, but he did walk twice in the game. Sam Hilliard replaced Blackmon in the ninth inning.

Daniel Murphy, Tony Wolters, and Ryan McMahon all got the night off from the starting lineup but all were utilized later.

Murphy pinch-hit for Drew Butera in the 6th inning with two outs and runners on the corners but he flew out to left field, bringing his batting aveage in his last 12 games down to .122 (5-for-41 with no extra-base hits).

Wolters, who had a ball deflect off his kneecap in the 9th inning on Monday and he was removed from the game for it, did not start the game but came in for Murphy after he pinch-hit for Butera.

McMahon pinch-hit for Brendan Rodgers, who has been struggling a bit himself in his limited playing time, in the 7th inning with the bases loaded and two out. While he was hitting, D’backs catcher Carson Kelly had a crucial passed ball that scored Nolan Arenado and made it a 4-3 Rockies lead. McMahon ended up walking to reload the bases but Garrett Hampson stranded the bases loaded.

The Rockies remain in third place but gain a game on both the Padres and Dodgers, who are ahead of them, as each lost their Tuesday games. The Dodgers lost to the Giants 10-8 in 11 innings on a walkoff, making it seven straight wins for the Giants, who are still 1/2 a game back of the Rockies i in the NL West. The Rockies will look to win the series at 7:40 p.m. (Mountain time) as they are slated to have Jon Gray on the mound against Robbie Ray for the D’Backs.