DENVER, Apr. 9 \u2014 Once again, Merrill Kelly<\/a><\/strong> was a puzzle the Colorado Rockies<\/a> could not solve, pitching his Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> to a 3\u20132 victory Tuesday night. Kelly held the Rockies to two runs on six hits, walking three and striking out four across six innings.<\/p>\n \u201cKelly\u2019s got good stuff,\u201d Rockies manager Bud Black<\/a><\/strong> said. \u201cThe 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 \u2014 it’s his signature pitch. He can go to it anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Corbin Carroll<\/a><\/strong> 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<\/a><\/strong> gave the Diamondbacks a 2\u20130 lead heading into the bottom of the first. The Rockies made it 2\u20131 in the bottom half thanks to an RBI groundout to second by Ryan McMahon<\/a><\/strong> with Charlie Blackmon<\/a><\/strong> on third and Ezequiel Tovar<\/a><\/strong> on second.<\/p>\n Diamondbacks right fielder and former Rockie Randal Grichuk<\/a><\/strong> made it 3\u20131 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<\/a><\/strong> scored Tovar from third and made it 3\u20132.<\/p>\n Despite the early deficit, Cal Quantrill<\/strong><\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u201cDiaz and I synced up and changed the target on a couple of pitches,\u201d Quantrill explained. He later added, \u201cHonestly, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Victor Vodnik<\/a><\/strong>, Tyler Kinley<\/a><\/strong>, and Jalen Beeks<\/a><\/strong> all put up zeroes, keeping the Rockies in the game.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI gotta be better in the first inning,\u201d Quantrill said. \u201cIt’s been a problem so far this year. We’ll work on it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rockies\u2019 two runs came on balls that didn\u2019t leave the infield. One was an RBI groundout, and the other was a dribbler to third that Suarez tried but failed to barehand.<\/p>\nRockies \u2013 Diamondbacks Game Summary<\/h3>\n
What Went Right for the Rockies<\/h3>\n
Starting Pitching<\/h4>\n
Relief Pitching<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the Rockies<\/h3>\n
Falling Behind Early<\/h4>\n
Not Getting the Big Hit<\/h4>\n