For a summation of the Rockies’ latest loss, we turn to the wisdom of irascible Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver.
Two of Earl’s pearls aptly sum up the Rockies’ 8-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Friday night at Coors Field:
• “Momentum? Momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher.”
• “There are only three outs in an inning, and they should be treasured. Give one away, and you’re making everything harder for yourself.”
Colorado (32-89) entered the game riding a modest two-game winning streak, but the hot-hitting D-backs shelled 24-year-old right-hander Bradley Blalock for seven runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings. And, per Weaver, Blalock made things really hard on himself by issuing four walks.
The tone was set with the game’s first batter, Geraldo Perdomo, who drew a leadoff walk. Then Blalock issued a one-out walk to Corbin Carroll. Sure enough, cleanup hitting Lourdes Gurriel Jr. punished Blalock for his cardinal sins, mashing a three-run homer.
Arizona, winner of nine of its last 12 games, has homered in 12 consecutive games, tying its season high. And the D-backs weren’t done playing smashball. Alex Thomas led off the second with a bloop single and scored on Jose Herrera’s two-run homer to right. Ketel Marte’s two-run double in the fourth increased Arizona’s lead to 7-0.
Blalock, now 1-3 after his ninth start (11th appearance), saw his ERA rise from 7.89 to 8.60. In 25 games since the All-Star break, Colorado starters own an 8.15 ERA, giving up 32 homers with 46 walks and 71 strikeouts.
The Rockies are 10-15 since the break, and had their starting pitching been better, they might be flirting with a .500 record in the second half. Their offense, anemic for much of the first half, has awoken during the summer’s dog days.
Except for Friday night.
Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez kept the D-backs’ momentum rolling, pitching seven strong innings. The veteran allowed one run on six hits, struck out six, and walked just one. Rodriguez’s only major mistake was leaving a 0-1 changeup over the plate that Kyle Farmer lined into the left-field bleachers to lead off the fifth. Farmer’s sixth homer traveled 404 feet.
Brenton Doyle, who’s been on a roll, hit a solo home run in the ninth, his 11th homer of the season. He sent lefty Jalen Beeks’ 3-2 fastball 419 feet to left-center.
Tyler Freeman continued to thrive as a leadoff hitter. He led off the Rockies’ first with a single to left, advanced to second on Jordan Beck’s single. A double steal moved Freeman to third and Beck to second, but Brenton Doyle struck out to end the inning. Freeman, who put down a perfect bunt down the third baseline for a single in the fifth, is hitting .304 with a .380 on-base percentage.
Friday’s pitching matchup
Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (12-7, 5.03 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (2-5, 8.37)
6:40 p.m. Friday, 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’ youth movement is in full swing. In Wednesday’s game at St. Louis, outfielder Mickey Moniak, at 27 years, 92 days old, was the oldest position player in the lineup. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time a Rockies lineup had a player younger than Moniak as the oldest player in their lineup was Sept. 19, 2012. That was third baseman Chris Nelson (27 years, 16 days).
Pitching probables
Saturday: Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (6-3, 3.46) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-9, 6.35), 6:10 p.m.
Sunday: Diamondbacks TBA at Rockies TBA, 1:10 p.m.