Diamondbacks have trouble with Rockies pitching to snap 5-game win streak
The Diamondbacks played their 50th game of the season on Friday, and a lackluster loss to the Rockies snapped their five-game winning streak.
Watch: What will the Arizona Diamondbacks do with Ketel Marte? | 7 mins
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks played their 50th game of the campaign on Friday, and a lackluster 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies snapped their five-game winning streak.
The D-backs finished the first 50 games with a 26-24 record, and they had their chances to keep the season-high win streak rolling.
The D-backs struck 10 of the 13 hardest-hit balls on Friday but just could not string hits together. They collected multiple hits in one inning, but Geraldo Perdomo lined out to right field to end the fifth.
An Ildemaro Vargas double play with two runners on and one out in the eighth inning felt like a momentum stopper.
Arizona finished with seven hits and struck out just three times all night.
“We had a few balls that were hit real good, but right at somebody,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We had a good approach. I’m not, what we were talking about two weeks ago, it’s nothing even close. We check off a pitch and we get into good hitting counts, and we just couldn’t put everything together at one time.”
It was a similar story in certain ways as Arizona’s loss at Coors Field last Saturday, including Colorado’s starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano eating innings despite facing danger. Sugano threw 11.2 innings with four earned runs over the two outings.
The D-backs have scored four runs over the first two games of this home series with Colorado after dropping 19 runs in three games at Coors Field last weekend.
The highlights on offense were a 116.7 mph double from Ketel Marte, the hardest-hit ball of his career while batting from the left side. Corbin Carroll beat out a pair of infield singles to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and Ryan Waldschmidt finished with two hits, as he is batting .326 through 14 MLB games.
Michael Soroka continues to deal at home
Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka only ran into real trouble in one of his six innings pitched on Friday. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the fifth inning, Soroka held the Rockies to one run on a Jake McCarthy sacrifice fly to preserve Arizona’s lead, 2-1.
Soroka allowed four hits and did not walk a batter during his six one-run innings of work, as the right-hander continued his run of excellence at home.
In six games at Chase Field, Soroka has thrown 34.1 innings with a 1.57 ERA. That is the lowest ERA for a pitcher in their first six home starts in franchise history.
Soroka only struck out two batters, benefitting from keeping the ball on the ground with solid defense behind him.
“I felt alright, a little slower than usual and still had some life,” Soroka said. “Guys made some great plays behind me … It was a bit of a grinder.”
He only threw 78 pitches after he tossed 98 at Coors Field in his last start. His average four-seam fastball on Friday was 1.8 mph slower than usual, per Statcast.
“There’s a couple buzzwords I hear when I’m talking to (pitching coach Brian Kaplan), who’s getting information,” Lovullo said of pulling Soroka early. “He talks about feeling a little bit fatigued and tiring. (Velocity) was down, and I have to add up a lot of things quickly.”
The bullpen did not have a banner day, as Juan Morillo allowed the tying run in the eighth inning and Ryan Thompson the winning run in the ninth.
Rockies third baseman Chad Stevens hit the go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning, a 70 mph flare into right field.
Gurriel injury scare
D-backs left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the game after making a sliding catch during the sixth inning. He walked off the field with the athletic trainer.
The club announced that he exited due to left hamstring tightness.
Gurriel drove in the only two runs for Arizona with a sacrifice fly and a double. He will get imaging on Saturday.
Friday attendance
29,945
Saturday starters
Zac Gallen (4.78 ERA) will pitch for the Diamondbacks on Saturday, while the Rockies will start right-hander Michael Lorenzen (7.03).
The D-backs scored six earned runs off Lorenzen last weekend at Coors Field.
The game will start at 7:10 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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Comments
12 Comments
TL was outmanaged and was the reason for the loss.
First, Soroka should have NOT been yanked after six innings. For the last two seasons, the starters couldn't go deep...now they can go deep and TL wants to pull them from the game.
Second, TL has caused the issue with Morillo by pitching Pfaadt two games ago when it was Morillo's turn. The Dbacks needs to cut their losses on Pfaadt and send him to Reno. I don't care if the competition in AAA isn't the same as the majors...Pfaadt can't pitch in the majors...he should have an ERA under 2.50 or even less since the competition in AAA isn't as high as the major (this is quote from TL on the Burns & Gambo show today).
I don't understand why the Dbacks and the fans are infatuated with Pfaadt? He is a lifetime 5.0+ ERA pitcher. Is it the 2023 playoff games? His performance in the 2023 playoffs was: Record 0-1; started 5 playoff games; pitched 22.0 innings; gave up 19 hits including 3 home runs runs; gave up 8 earned runs...and had an ERA for the playoffs of 3.53. Are we going to keep him because of his performance in five games in the 2023 playoff series?
If Gurriel is going to be out for a few days or to be on the IL, the Dbacks needs to address Barossa...he is batting .181. We need to have same standards that were used with Alek Thomas.
ADC can't be the DH with a batting average of .181. Make Fernando the DH or move Vargas to second, Jose at first and Marte at DH...again, we can't have a DH hitting .181.
The first base pick off should have been challenged...the replay showed Vargas applying the tag to the back of the player before the player touched first base bag. Has someone told TL that the challenges are not rolled over to the next game?
Is TL saving Soroka for the playoffs? 6 innings 78 pitches. SEVENTY EIGHT !!
He is incapable of riding a hot streak. Starting pitchers are hot, let them go. The talk about Denver high altitude, we have to watch our players carefully, blah blah blah blah. He allows Soroka throw 98 pitches in Denver and then pulls him after 78 pitches in Phoenix.