De La Rosa sharp, Arizona beats Rockies for 5th straight

DENVER — Rubby De La Rosa took a shutout into the eighth before running out of steam, Paul Goldschmidt homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their fifth straight game by beating the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Tuesday night.

The hard-throwing De La Rosa (4-4) handcuffed the Rockies for 7 1/3 innings with a fastball that routinely touched 95 mph. He allowed four hits and struck out six. The only run he allowed was on a wild pitch.

De La Rosa also drove in his first run of the season with a sacrifice bunt as part of a four-run sixth that broke open the game.

Chris Rusin (1-1) was cruising along until he unraveled in the sixth. He allowed four runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings as the Rockies dropped their seventh straight game at Coors Field — their longest skid at home since 2012. The team record is nine in a row in 1993.

Yasmany Tomas played a big role in his return to the lineup after missing four games with a sore neck. And while he had three hits, it was Tomas’ intentional walk in the sixth paved the way for the breakout inning. After that, it went like this: Chris Owings’ run-scoring double, Nick Ahmed’s RBI single, De La Rosa brought in a run on a sacrifice bunt and finally Jean Segura’s RBI single.

Goldschmidt’s towering solo homer in the seventh marked the 43rd straight game he’s reached base against the Rockies. It’s the fourth-longest streak versus Colorado. The top mark belongs to Mike Piazza, who reached base in 48 straight games against Colorado from July 1995 to September 1999.

Charlie Blackmon had a single to lead off the game. After that, Colorado mustered only three more off De La Rosa before he handed things over to the bullpen.

Before the game, manager Chip Hale talked about how the velocity of De La Rosa allows him to get away with a mistake or two at a place like Coors Field. De La Rosa did in the fifth when Blackmon got under an 86-mph slider, sending it high and to the warning track.

De La Rosa escaped in the sixth, too, when rookie Trevor Story lifted a high fly to left that stayed in the park.

Carlos Gonzalez saved a run in the fourth by sending a two-hop throw to catcher Tony Wolters, who tagged out Tomas. The Diamondbacks challenged the play as a violation of the home plate collision rule, but the call stood.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: OF David Peralta was out of the lineup for another game with a sore right forearm. If he’s not better Wednesday, the Diamondbacks are going to schedule a doctor’s appointment.

Rockies: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (strained left groin) said he felt good a day after a rehab start for Triple-A Albuquerque. The plan is for him to make one more minor league start before his return.

BOURN AGAIN

The Diamondbacks agreed to terms on a minor league contract with outfielder Michael Bourn and assigned him to Double-A Mobile. The 33-year-old was released by Toronto over the weekend.

“Just see if he can get his game together,” Hale said. “If in two or three weeks from now we feel like he can help us win games, we’ll bring him here.”

KIND GESTURE

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado appeared at a local middle school Tuesday as part of the “Home Run for Kindness” program, which encourages simple acts of kindness every day.

“I’m a big believer in spreading positivity,” Arenado said.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (1-2) is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA at Coors Field.

Rockies: RHP Chad Bettis (3-2) has thrown six or more innings in six straight starts.