There may be no cryin’ in baseball, but there were a whole lot of Ryans at Coors Field on Friday night.
The Ryans in the Colorado Rockies lineup had a good night, much to the delight of a large group of their namesakes taking part in a “Ryan meetup,” but it wasn’t enough to combat the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup in a 14-8 loss on a sweltering night in front of 31,851 in LoDo.
Ryan McMahon homered, while Ryan Ritter had two hits and scored twice. The four sections in the outfield seats next to the batters eye feted both of them and chanted their name throughout this contest, but the visitors were the ones celebrating at the end of the night after an offensive assault.
“That was kind of crazy,” McMahon said of how the ball was jumping off bats in the heat. “I don’t remember a night where it was taking off like it was tonight. It’s tough for any pitcher, but credit to them. They put some good swings on the pitches they were getting.”
Eugenio Suarez had two of Arizona’s four home runs, and was one of seven Diamondbacks hitters to collect at least two of the club’s 21 hits. Every member of the starting lineup had at least one.
It was the Rockies’ first night at home after a successful 4-3 road trip, but the loss dropped Colorado to 17-59 for the season.
“These are games that I’m used to from Albuquerque,” Rockies interim manager Warren Shaeffer said. “I managed there for a couple years and it’s a lot of games like that, with the thin air and the ball flying.
“It’s just a matter of reality and managing to that … sending (Austin Gomber) back out for the fifth and him grinding through it to try and save the bullpen, that’s just something you’ve got to do in those games.”
Gomber’s first start of the season was a smashing success — five shutout innings Sunday in Atlanta. Five days later, it was two steps back for the southpaw. Arizona tagged Gomber for nine runs on 12 hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings.
He went back out for the fifth after a Rockies’ six-run rally in the bottom of the fourth, but proceeded to give up his second and third home runs of the evening. His last pitch landed 449 feet from home plate for Ildemaro Vargas’ first homer of the season and put Arizona in front 9-7.
“I didn’t have very good stuff and I didn’t execute very good,” Gomber said. “Physically, just felt like I was moving underwater a little bit. I’ve had those days coming back where some days I feel really good and other days I don’t.”
Just before that, Colorado’s bats came to life for a huge inning against Arizona starter Zach Gallen. McMahon’s 467-foot blast got it started, and Mickey Moniak added a two-run homer during the six-run surge to momentarily put the home side in front 7-6.
Maybe it’s because the Arizona bats are used to this kind of heat, but the Diamondbacks just kept hammering away. Even when the Rockies went to their one Ryan in the bullpen, Ryan Rolison, he couldn’t slow the barrage. Suarez’s second homer of the game and No. 300 in his career pushed the visitors’ lead to 11-7 in the sixth.
Ketel Marte’s third extra-base hit of the night drive in two more runs in the seventh, giving Arizona a 13-7 lead and the slugging second baseman a five-RBI night.
Colorado’s bats went cold after the one big inning, at least until two hits and a Ritter sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth. Gallen was able to get through the fifth and collect the win despite allowing seven runs on 10 hits.
FOOTNOTES: The “Ryan meetup” was organized by an Instagram account of the same name (with more than 34,000 followers). Both Ryans, McMahon and Rittner, were feted with cheers and chants all night.
“They were DM’ing on Instagram to get ready for tonight,” Ritter said. “I was definitely excited to have a day for the Ryans.”
Shaeffer said before the game that pitcher Ryan Feltner is slated to throw three innings in a rehab appearance Saturday for Class AAA Albuquerque. Feltner has been out since late April when he was placed on the disabled list with back spasms. Infielder Thairo Estrada missed a third straight game after getting hit on the right hand earlier this week. Shaeffer said the hand is still swollen, but nothing is broken and his return is still to be determined.
Saturday’s pitching matchup
Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (6-3, 3.41 ERA) at Rockies LHP Carson Palmquist (0-4, 7.76)
7:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM
Trending: The Rockies were pacing toward one of the worst offenses in MLB history when Bud Black was fired May 11 after the team’s 7-33 start. Colorado was 10-25 under interim manager Warren Schaeffer after returning home Friday from a 4-3 road trip. And there have been signs of life from the Rockies’ bats, particularly in the power department. The team’s triple slash line was .218/.285/.359 on the day of the managerial change, and the Rockies were 27th or worse in all three categories. Colorado began Friday with a .235/.296/.405 slash line in Schaffer’s first 35 games. The .405 slugging percentage is 16th in the majors during that span. Colorado is 16th in home runs (39), tied for 11th in doubles (56) and first in triples (14) during Schaeffer’s tenure.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (8-4, 5.38) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (2-10, 6.72), 1:10 p.m.
Monday: Off day
Tuesday: Dodgers TBD at Rockies RHP German Marquez (3-8, 6.11), 6:40 p.m.