Rockies Fall to Kelly, Diamondbacks

Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks throwing a pitch against the Rockies

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

April 9, 2024

Diamondbacks 3, Rockies 2

DENVER, Apr. 9 — Once again, Merrill Kelly was a puzzle the Colorado Rockies could not solve, pitching his Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3–2 victory Tuesday night. Kelly held the Rockies to two runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four across six innings.

“Kelly’s got good stuff,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “The changeup was really devastating tonight with its movement. For me, that’s his best pitch. Tremendous arm speed, gets down and away to the left-handed hitter, down and away to the righty. It looks like a fastball but doesn’t quite have the velocity and has great sinking action to it. It’s a really good pitch — it’s his signature pitch. He can go to it anytime.”

Kelly has picked up a win in three straight starts against the Rockies and in six of his last eight. The Rockies have not tagged Kelly for a loss since April 8, 2021.

Rockies – Diamondbacks Game Summary

Corbin Carroll gave the Diamondbacks a nearly immediate lead, cracking a homer to left on the second pitch of the game. Later in the inning, a single up the middle by Rockies nemesis Christian Walker gave the Diamondbacks a 2–0 lead heading into the bottom of the first. The Rockies made it 2–1 in the bottom half thanks to an RBI groundout to second by Ryan McMahon with Charlie Blackmon on third and Ezequiel Tovar on second.

Diamondbacks right fielder and former Rockie Randal Grichuk made it 3–1 with a leadoff homer in the top of the second. The score stayed there until the bottom of the sixth, when an infield single by Elias Diaz scored Tovar from third and made it 3–2.

What Went Right for the Rockies

Starting Pitching

Despite the early deficit, Cal Quantrill put together a Quality Start. It marked the third game out of the last four in which the Rockies starting pitcher notched a Quality Start.

“Diaz and I synced up and changed the target on a couple of pitches,” Quantrill explained. He later added, “Honestly, the biggest difference (between the early and later innings) is I was getting ahead in counts and making better pitches with two strikes. I think it’s easy to blame a lot of things on this park. But in the end, if you execute and put yourself in power counts, you still should succeed.”

Relief Pitching

Victor Vodnik, Tyler Kinley, and Jalen Beeks all put up zeroes, keeping the Rockies in the game.

What Went Wrong for the Rockies

Falling Behind Early

Yes, Quantrill kept them in the game. And yes, he put up a Quality Start. But he fell behind early, and the Rockies had to play from behind yet again.

“I gotta be better in the first inning,” Quantrill said. “It’s been a problem so far this year. We’ll work on it.”

Not Getting the Big Hit

The Rockies’ two runs came on balls that didn’t leave the infield. One was an RBI groundout, and the other was a dribbler to third that Suarez tried but failed to barehand.

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Quick Hits

With an eighth-inning single, Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon extended his hitting streak to six games. Additionally, he has hit safely in 11 of the Rockies’ 12 games in 2024. McMahon is now slashing .400/.451/.578 (18-for-45). He is tied with Spencer Steer of the Cincinnati Reds and Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL lead in batting average and is fourth in both OBP and hits.

Vodnik’s scoreless streak is now 8 2/3 innings. All five of his appearances in 2024 have been scoreless.

Tuesday was the fourth multi-hit game of the season for Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle. He went 2-for-3 to raise his batting average to .302 for the year.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo reached his 500th win as a manager, all with the Diamondbacks, Tuesday night. Lovullo, now in his eighth season at the helm, is not only the longest-serving manager in Diamondbacks history but also has the most wins, 147 ahead of second-place Kirk Gibson. He has been the Diamondbacks manager since 2017, when he won Manager of the Year.

Looking Ahead

Kelly (2–0) earned the win, with Quantrill (0–2) taking the Tough Loss.

The Rockies (3–9) and Diamondbacks (5–7) will conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon. It will be a battle of lefties, Austin Gomber (0–0, 6.23 ERA) for the Rockies and Tommy Henry (0–1, 7.00 ERA). First pitch will be at 1:10 pm Mountain Daylight Time.