Sedona Red Recap: After blowing lead, D-backs beat Rockies on Marte walkoff

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks did it again.

After blowing the lead in the top of the ninth inning, they won it in the bottom half.

Ketel Marte ripped a one-out single to push the D-backs past the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, and clinch the three-game series in front of 34,556 at Chase Field on Sunday afternoon.

It was Marte’s first career walkoff hit and Arizona’s sixth this season.

Behind in the count 1-2 and staring at a five-man infield, Marte got the ball up in the air and over the head of the left fielder to score Brandon Drury on the deciding run.

The play made a winner out of Fernando Rodney (3-2), who failed to close it out and thus blew his fourth save opportunity of the season.

Adam Ottavino (1-3) suffered the loss.

Marte and Drury each had two hits. Drury also had an RBI.

In addition to their 3-2 lead, the D-backs were unable to protect a 2-1 advantage after Chris Owings jacked a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Starter Taijuan Walker surrendered a run in the fifth. He also allowed a run, unearned, in the fourth, but other than that pitched well.

Now 4-0 in his last five starts, Walker completed seven innings, recording a third straight quality outing by scattering six hits, all singles, with one walk and eight strikeouts. He also hit two batters and uncorked a wild pitch as part of his 107-pitch effort.

The D-backs went 6-4 on their 10-game homestand.

THE GOOD

The first five outs Walker recorded were strikeouts, including a swing-and-miss by Trevor Story that spun Story around and to the ground for out number-two in the second inning. Walker added another strikeout in the third, giving him six through three innings. By comparison, he had zero strikeouts in 6.1 innings against the Cardinals five days ago.

For the third time this series — and 12th time this season — Owings went deep. He lifted an 87-mph changeup high into the air that carried just beyond the left-field fence for a two-run home run to give the D-backs a 2-1 lead with one out in the fourth inning. Each of Owings’ last seven hits have gone for extra bases (four doubles and three home runs).

With two on and two outs in the sixth inning, Drury starred down an 0-2 count and ripped an 84-mph curveball into left-center field for a double. The two-base hit, Drury’s 21st of the season, scored Jake Lamb and put the D-backs back in front, 3-2. Drury finished 2-for-4 and is now batting .278 (22-for-79) with 19 RBI over his last 22 games.

THE BAD

A walk, error and broken bat single added up to a run — the first of the game — for the Rockies in the fourth inning. Ian Desmond drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on Drury’s fielding error and scored when Story singled up the middle, breaking his bat on the play. It was Story’s third RBI of the series and 17th in his career at Chase Field.

Three consecutive one-out singles allowed the Rockies to tie the game at 2 in the fifth inning. Charlie Blackmon and D.J. LeMahieu both singled to right, while Nolan Arenado went up the middle with his base hit, which easily scored Blackmon from second base. Arenado, who finished 2-for-5 with his team-best 62nd RBI, now has a five-game hitting streak.

The last three outs of a game are the hardest, or so they say. Rodney had made it look easy for the better part of two months, but with one out in the ninth inning he surrendered three consecutive singles; the latter a game-tying base hit by Blackmon. Rodney had not allowed an earned run since April 29 against the Rockies, a run of 19 straight games.

STAT OF THE GAME

52-32-29: With 52 wins, the D-backs are off to their best 83-game start in franchise history; 32 of those wins have come at home, which is one shy of their total from all of last season. Twenty-nine have been comeback wins.

HE SAID IT

“Great moment for him, obviously just getting called up,” manager Torey Lovullo said, referring to Marte. “You always look for little push-moments like that to help you move on to the next day. It was just a special moment for him, and this team.”

NOTED

– Walker threw a first-pitch strike to 20-of-29 batters. In addition, he reached a 3-ball count three times.

– Owings finished 1-for-3 with a walk and has now hit safely in his past 17 starts, batting .318 (21-for-66).

– Owings committed a fielding error in the third inning. It’s his team-high 13th and second in right field.

– Marte was caught stealing in the fifth inning after video replay (:38 review) overturned the initial safe call.

– Rodney had his career-high 11-game hitless streak snapped, tied for the longest in franchise history.

– More than 100,000 attended the series. The 104,169 total is the highest weekend total of the season.

– With a first-pitch temperature of 106 degrees, the game was played with the roof and panels closed.

– It was Military Appreciation Day as the D-backs honored all active duty, reserve, retired and veterans.

UP NEXT

An off day. In L.A.

The D-backs will enjoy a day of rest in Southern California before beginning a big three-game series against the Dodgers, who sit atop the National League West.

It’s a battle of left-handers, Patrick Corbin and Clayton Kershaw, in the series opener on Tuesday, July 4. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station.

Corbin (6-7) has pitched better as of late. He’s recorded three straight quality starts and over his last four outings is 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA –24 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.

This will be Corbin’s second time facing the Dodgers. Back on April 15, he was dealt an 8-4 defeat after allowing five runs, three earned, on nine hits, including one home run in six innings.

Lifetime, Corbin carries a 3-8 mark against the Dodgers.

Meanwhile, there might not be a better pitcher in the game than Kershaw (12-2).

Since his last loss on May 1, Kershaw is 8-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 11 starts. He’s on a five-start winning streak that’s seen him shutout each of his last two opponents, the Rockies and Angels, over a combined 13 innings.

Once this season Kershaw has beaten the D-backs, 7-1 at Dodgers Stadium. He held the visitors to one run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

Kershaw is 13-8 in 25 starts all-time against the D-backs.

Earlier this season, the D-backs split a four-game set in L.A., and they are 4-3 overall versus the league’s best team.

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