David Peralta’s 3-hit night leads the way in D-backs’ win over Rockies

PHOENIX – The Freight Train continues to deliver for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second half of April. David Peralta stays red hot, going 3-for-5 at the dish with two RBIs and a stolen base, in a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on Thursday.

Peralta had a triple and a pair of singles in the win and has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games with a batting average of .409, two doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 14 RBIs over that span.

He currently leads all of MLB with four triples this season.

“We talk about finding ways to create some moments to score some runs, and we did,” Torey Lovullo said on the offense. “We just kept narrowing that gap and closing it down piece by piece.”

“I think David had some key moments, and he’s just been a key factor for us all month long,” he added on Peralta’s recent performances.

Josh Rojas, who has struggled at the plate this season, contributed with a solo home run in the fourth inning that also featured a pair of doubles from Daulton Varsho and Pavin Smith that tied the game. Rojas was 2-of-4 on the day.

Eduardo Escobar also had two hits, going 2-for-5 with an RBI triple in the seventh inning that put Arizona ahead. He has tallied 15 RBIs this season, five shy of his total for 2020.

The D-backs have scored 67 runs against opposing bullpens, which is second in MLB behind the Dodgers’ 68 runs.

“These guys continue to be resilient and find a way to fight and come out and get ready to play a baseball game the next day, whether it’s a good result the night before or a bad result,” added Lovullo on the team’s win. “They separate it, push it out, and get ready to go out and fight together.”

Luke Weaver made his fifth start of the season He entered the game with a 4.57 ERA and an opponent batting average of .229.

Weaver was unable to establish his changeup and struggled with his control early, walking three of the first seven batters he faced.

He intentionally walked the bases loaded in the second inning and narrowly escaped while only allowing one earned run on a Charlie Blackmon RBI double.

Weaver found the strike zone in the third, but he wasn’t fooling many Rockies hitters. He gave up a leadoff double to second baseman Garrett Hampson, followed by an RBI triple to Trevor Story and an RBI single to third baseman Ryan McMahon.

In total, Weaver allowed four walks, five hits, and three earned runs in four innings pitched. His pitch count soared in the second inning, which cut his day short at 85 pitches. He struck out four.

“Luke I thought was touch and go at times,” said Lovullo on Weaver’s outing. “He had some real good stuff. But through the four innings that he threw I felt like he managed it well enough to stay away from the big inning and keep us in the ballgame.”

The bullpen battery of the returning Chris Devenski, Taylor Clarke, Caleb Smith, Kevin Ginkel and Stefan Crichton did not allow a run once Weaver exited the game. Smith is credited with the win and Crichton registered his third save of the season.

Lovullo was adamant about how pleased he was with what the bullpen was able to do.

“After getting knicked up a little bit last night, these guys came out on the attack,” he said. “I could feel it in the dugout that they were making pitches and basically gave us the ability to play catch up and stay ahead and win the ballgame.”

UP NEXT

Fresh off his unofficial no-hitter, Madison Bumgarner will start game two of this four-game series against the Rockies. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Bumgarner has allowed one earned run and two hits with 12 strikeouts in his last two starts. He is 2-2 in five games this season with a 6.31 ERA.

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