Dose of Venom: Diamondbacks can’t keep up with Rockies’ onslaught of offense
Apr 29, 2014, 5:58 AM | Updated: 3:18 pm
And the see-saw season continues.
When the Arizona Diamondbacks pitch, they don’t hit; and when they hit, they don’t pitch.
The latter was the case on Monday as the Diamondbacks pounded out 10 hits and scored five runs, but came up short, losing for the third straight game, 8-5 in front of a crowd of 17,127 at Chase Field.
“Days we score we give up a few runs and like a day like (Sunday) we have great pitching and we’re not able to score any runs,” Paul Goldschmidt said. “When you’re not winning games it’s usually what’s happening.”
The pitching had been solid as of late, specifically the starting pitching. Except on this night.
Wade Miley (2-3) allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits, including a pair of sixth-inning home runs. Troy Tulowitzki led off the frame with home run No. 6 and then three batters later Justin Morneau hit his sixth, a two-run shot to finish off the damage.
“I felt really good tonight,” said Miley, who suffered his first career loss against the Rockies. He had been 7-0 in 10 games, including nine starts. “It was weird. It was probably one of the better—feeling wise, I felt really good tonight. Those guys are swinging it well right now. I didn’t get the job done. That was on me.”
Miley retired no more than four batters in a row in what was his worst performance in seven starts this season.
“They’re a good hitting ball club,” manager Kirk Gibson said. “They’re hard to contain. You’ve got to make good pitches on them. And not good enough.”
With the loss, the Diamondbacks dropped to 8-21. They are just 2-14 in home games.
“Yeah, I can’t explain it,” Goldschmidt said. “Obviously it’s not good.”
THE GOOD
Gerardo Parra’s second-inning home run snapped a 16-inning scoreless drought for the Diamondbacks, who had not had a runner cross home plate since the third inning on Saturday against the Phillies. He added two more hits to finish 3-for-4.
Miguel Montero drove in the Diamondbacks’ second run of the game with his fourth sacrifice fly of the season, which leads the National League. He went 1-for-3 and has now hit safely in nine of his last 10 games (.333; 10-for-30).
Martin Prado reached base four times, going 2-for-3 including a triple, his first of the season, and two walks. He had not drawn a base on balls in the previous eight games and entered the day with only four walks to his credit.
Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with an RBI. He is now hitting .447 (21-for-44) with three home runs and 16 RBI in his last 13 games against the Rockies.
A.J. Pollock, while he went 0-for-5 at the plate, started a huge defensive play in the first inning. He hit the cut-off man, Aaron Hill, who relayed the throw to Prado to nail Carlos Gonzlez trying to stretch a double into a triple for the third out of the inning. It was Pollock’s third assist of the season.
THE BAD
Three times — in the third, fourth and sixth innings — Miley failed to put up a zero a half-inning after his team had tied the game. His outing ended a stretch of four straight quality starts by Diamondbacks’ pitchers, the longest such streak since five in a row from September 10-15, 2013.
Miley was touched up for 10 hits, including seven extra-base hits of which two were home runs and five were doubles. In fact, five of the first six Rockies hits were two-baggers.
Cody Ross went 0-for-4, dropping his batting average to .088 (3-for-34) since being reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on April 18.
The Diamondbacks committed their 26th and 27th errors of the season, the most in baseball. In the sixth inning, Hill made a diving stop of a ground ball, but his throw was well wide of first. The ball ended up getting stuck between the netting and padding of the fence allowing D.J. LeMahieu to advance to second. Then in the ninth inning, Parra’s throw from right field got away from Goldschmidt allowing Corey Dickerson to advance from first base to second base after a Charlie Blackmon sacrifice fly scored the Rockies eighth run of the game.
STAT OF THE GAME
8: The number of extra-base hits by the Rockies, who finished with a season-high six doubles and two home runs as part of their 12-hit attack.
HE SAID IT
“Every time we’d score a run to get back in the game, I couldn’t keep it at zero,” Miley said. “I mean I’d give up runs and in the sixth inning it caught up. It was three spot instead of one; turned into a two-run homer and that hurts. I don’t know. I don’t have any answers.”
NOTED
• Parra’s home run was his first off a lefty since taking Colorado’s Drew Pomeranz deep on October 1, 2012; it was also the first by a Diamondbacks left-handed hitter off a left-handed pitcher since April 2, 2013 vs. Cardinals (Miguel Montero off Jamie Garcia)
• Troy Tulowitzki had three extra-base hits for the first time since May 29, 2010 vs. Astros; and now has a 10-game hitting streak against the Diamondbacks
• Nolan Arenado extended his career-best hitting streak to 18 games, the longest hitting streak in the Majors this season
UP NEXT
Rookie right-hander Mike Bolsinger makes his first career start at Chase Field when the Diamondbacks host the Rockies in game two of the three-game series on Tuesday, April 29. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes earlier on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Bolsinger (1-1, 5.27) earned his first Major League win in his last start on April 24 at the Cubs, allowing one unearned run over 6.2 innings. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Tyler Chatwood (1-0, 4.26), who has faced the Diamondbacks three times (two starts) in his career, going 2-0 with a 3.65 ERA. The Rockies are 3-0 in those three games.
