Five-run Ninth Gives Diamondbacks Seesaw Win over Rockies

Geraldo Perdomo of the Diamondbacks diving in for the tying run against the Rockies

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

August 16, 2023

Diamondbacks 8, Rockies 5

DENVER, Aug 15 — It would not be a Diamondbacks–Rockies game without a seesaw at the end. True to form, the Arizona Diamondbacks scored five runs in the top of the ninth for an 8–5 comeback victory over the Colorado Rockies — who had scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh themselves. It put a cherry on top of a game that saw 24 hits and nine of the thirteen runs scored in the seventh and ninth innings.

Rockies starter Ty Blach lasted five innings, allowing two runs on six hits along with two walks and two strikeouts. The runs both came on one hit, a two-run third-inning homer by Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, a perennial thorn in the Rockies’ side. This clout was the 20th in Walker’s career against the Rockies, more than he has hit against any other team. “He’s swinging the bat really well this year,” Blach said of Walker. “You look at his average this year, compared to years past, he’s hit for a higher average (but is) still hitting for the same amount of power. He’s doing a nice job, making adjustments, not chasing as many pitches as he has in the past. So he’s a good player (and has) a good approach.”

Blach, Rockies Strand Multiple Diamondbacks Runners

Blach gave up a one-out first-inning single to rookie Diamondbacks center fielder Corbin Carroll but left him stranded, largely thanks to a tremendous catch for the third out by center fielder Brenton Doyle. Walker had belted a deep drive to center with a full count and Carroll running on the pitch. Doyle got a quick break on the ball and made a running catch on the warning track a split second before running into the wall.

Blach gave up two more hits in the second but stranded catcher Gabriel Moreno and shortstop Nick Ahmed on the corners. He also stranded Ahmed in the fourth after a bunt single. In the fifth, with Carroll on first after a one-out walk, Diamondbacks right fielder Tommy Pham launched a deep fly to the gap in left-center. Rookie Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones ran it down, making the catch while crashing into the wall. Walker also walked, but Blach left the two runners stranded by retiring Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for the third out on a fly to center.

Blach said afterwards that his outfield defense has been “tremendous all year.” He added, “Doyle running down that ball in the first against the wall, and Nolan Jones crashing into the wall for me — that was huge. I think I used about every square inch of the outfield tonight. Thankfully, Coors Field is really big, but those guys played great out there all night.” Their speed and athleticism are “crucial to be able to win baseball games,” according to Blach.

“You Gotta Beat Billy Jones”

The Diamondbacks used six pitchers, with lefty reliever Joe Mantiply as the “opener.” Mantiply tossed a 1-2-3 first before giving way to debutant Bryce Jarvis, whose father Kevin pitched for ten major league teams, including both the Rockies and Diamondbacks.

Prior to the game, Rockies manager Bud Black was asked about the challenges of preparing for an opposing “bullpen game,” rather than the traditional starting pitcher. He said that his club knew most of the guys they’d be facing, but that there were “a couple of cats that we don’t know.” One was Jarvis. Black gave an analogy, calling it “sort of old school.” He continued, “You’re in high school, and you’re playing for the state championship, and you’re playing that team from the northeast corner of the state. You’re from the southwest, and you haven’t seen Billy Jones. It’s just like that. You gotta beat Billy Jones. And you haven’t seen him. You hear about him. You get a scouting report on Billy that he’s got a good fastball and got a breaking ball. So you’re in that box, you got to compete against Billy Jones.”

“Billy Jones” — aka Jarvis — tossed a perfect second. In the third, Jarvis surrendered a leadoff walk to right fielder Michael Toglia, who advanced to second on an end-of-the-bat dribbler up the third-base line by first baseman Elehuris Montero. Doyle followed with another slow bouncer up the middle. Ahmed sprinted across the diamond to scoop it up and fire to first in time to nab Doyle by less than a step. That brought up designated hitter Charlie Blackmon, who plated Toglia with a grounder to first. A perfect fourth followed, ending Jarvis’ three-inning debut with a line of one run on one hit with a walk and three strikeouts.

The Seesaw Begins

The Rockies tied the game in the bottom of the sixth against Diamondbacks lefty Tyler Gilbert, who had pitched a scoreless fifth. Blackmon led off with a triple to right. Two batters later, he scored on a groundout despite the infield playing in. Third baseman Ryan McMahon had hit a Baltimore Chop directly to Ahmed, the ball bounding so high in the air that Ahmed had no chance of throwing Blackmon out at the plate.

The Diamondbacks took the lead in the top of the seventh but squandered an opportunity to do more damage. Second baseman Geraldo Perdomo led off with a bunt against new Rockies pitcher Brent Suter, who had shut them down on 10 pitches the night before. Suter fielded the ball between the mound and the third-base line. He fired high to first. Montero leapt to haul it in, tipping it with his glove. It trickled behind him, bouncing slowly toward the wall. Perdomo rounded second, drawing a throw to third before slamming on the brakes. That throw also went wild, but Suter, backing up third, fielded it quickly enough to keep Perdomo at second.

The Go-Ahead Run Scores

Ketel Marte followed with a walk, putting runners on first and second with nobody out for Carroll. He ran the count to 3–0, squaring to bunt on every pitch but pulling the bat back. Carroll bunted the fourth pitch, popping it up. It was low in the air about halfway up the first base line and going foul. Montero charged in and dove, making a spectacular catch inches off the ground. After the game, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic tweeted that Lovullo was “visibly angry” about Carroll’s foul bunt and indicated that there was a “miscommunicated sign.”

Pham followed with a swinging bunt on 2–1, also near the third-base line. Suter got to it quickly and looked at third, but McMahon was slow to cover. Suter had to make a jumping, spinning throw to first, where Montero made a nice stretch to keep his foot on the bag while catching it for the out. Up came Walker with first base open. The Rockies pitched to him, and after a first-pitch strike, catcher Elias Diaz snapped a pickoff throw to third. It went awry, sailing into left, the third wild Rockies throw of the inning. Perdomo scored the go-ahead run as Marte rounded third. Jones gathered the ball near the line over 300 feet from home and launched a missile. Diaz caught it on the fly and tagged the sliding Marte in one motion, ending the half-inning.

Rockies Knock Around Another Diamondbacks Reliever, but Diamondbacks Get Last Laugh

Luis Frias, who recorded the last out of the sixth, retook the mound for the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Jones smashed a double to right. Toglia brought him home with a double to the gap in left-center, tying the game at three. After Toglia stole third without a throw, Montero hit a one-hopper back to the mound. Toglia broke for home on contact and was a dead duck. The out did not matter in the long run, as Doyle scored Montero with a two-run homer to left-center. Frias walked Blackmon before retiring Tovar on an inning-ending fly to right.

Fast-forward to the top of the ninth. Facing Justin Lawrence, who struck out the side in a 1-2-3 inning for the save Monday night, the Diamondbacks led off with a first-pitch single to left by pinch-hitter Alek Thomas. A Perdomo double advanced Thomas to third, bringing up Marte with no outs and two runners in scoring position. His single to right tied the game.

After Carroll flied to right, Pham dug in. A fan yelled, “SWING battah battah SWING!” as Lawrence entered his windup. Pham obliged, looping a broken-bat double down the left-field line. This brought Marte home with the tying run. Walker flied to left for the second out before Gurriel cracked a single to center. Pham scored an insurance run and ended Lawrence’s night. Gurriel stole second as new pitcher Tyler Kinley pitched to Jace Peterson, who replaced Buddy Kennedy at third in the eighth inning. Peterson ripped a single to right, scoring Gurriel with the eighth run. A fly to center by Moreno stopped the bleeding and retired the side. Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald, despite giving up three hits, stranded all three runners on base as he recorded his third save as a Diamondback and 24th overall for 2023.

Looking Ahead

Ginkel (6–0) earned the win, while Lawrence (3–6) took the dreaded blown save-loss combo. Sewald notched his third save as a Diamondback and 24th total. The Diamondbacks (60–60) and Rockies (46–74) will conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon. Diamondbacks righty Slade Cecconi (0–0, 2.84 ERA) — another “cat” the Rockies don’t know — will face lefty Austin Gomber (9–9, 5.33 ERA). First pitch will be at 1:10 pm Mountain Daylight Time, or 12:10 pm Arizona Time.