To paraphrase the immortal Crash Davis, all the Rockies needed to beat the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Coors Field was “just one extra flare … a gorp … a groundball with eyes … a dying quail.”
But the clutch hit — even a cheapie clutch hit — never arrived.
So the D-backs prevailed, 3-2, to end their five-game losing streak. A crowd of 19,359 watched the Rockies slip to 3-9 on the young season.
Colorado had eight hits but was 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
Colorado wasted a rock-solid start from right-hander Cal Quantrill and quality relief work from Victor Vodnik, Tyler Kinley and Jalen Beeks.
Quantrill, making his first start at Coors in a Rockies uniform, endured a bumpy beginning and rebounded to pitch six solid innings.
Arizona’s Corbin Carroll led off the game with a home run to left, the first leadoff homer of his career. Gabriel Moreno followed with a loud double to right, and scored on Christian Walker’s one-out single. When former Rockies outfielder Randal Grichuk led off the second with a homer to left, the Diamondbacks led 3-1, and Quantrill looked to be taking on water.
But Quantrill escaped the second with minor damage and smothered the D-backs’ bats for the next four innings. The right-hander, acquired in a trade from Cleveland during the offseason, gave up three runs on eight hits, struck out six, and walked none.
But Arizona starter Merrill Kelly outpitched Quantrill, allowing two runs on six hits over his six innings. His three walks were potentially dangerous at Coors, but he dodged significant trouble.
Colorado cobbled together a run in the first on a leadoff, infield single by Charlie Blackmon, a bloop double into no man’s land behind first base by Ezequiel Tovar, and an RBI groundout by Ryan McMahon to score Blackmon.
The Rockies cut the D-backs’ lead to 3-2 in the sixth, fueled by Tovar, who singled, stole third and scored on Elias Diaz’s infield single. Colorado’s rally had a chance to be bigger, but McMahon was thrown out at second on the double-steal attempt that advanced Tovar to third, and Nolan Jones struck out looking with Diaz at second.
The teams play the third and decisive game of the series on Wednesday afternoon.
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