Rockies 11, Diamondbacks 7: First Inning Blowup Dooms Diamondbacks

Dallas Keuchel was not able to overcome a key error and got knocked around

Record 35-43, Pace 73-89

The Colorado Rockies outslugged the Diamondbacks at Coors field tonight 11-7. Christian Walker made a critical throwing error in the first inning on a would be inning ending double play, leading to 4 runs against Dallas Keuchel. Keuchel then gave up 3 more in the 4th inning for 7 runs in 5 innings of work.

The top of the order tried to get the team back in the game and made it 7-5 by the top of the 6th, thanks to two homers by Christian Walker and one by Ketel Marte. But J.B. Wendelken and Kyle Nelson combined to give up 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning, putting the game away for Colorado.

Daulton Varsho hit a two run homer in the bottom of the 9th to make it closer, but too little too late.

INNING RECAP

T-1: Austin Gomber retires the top of the D-backs order 1-2-3.

B-1: After Kris Bryant hit a one single Christian Walker fielded a ground ball that should have been a 3-6-3 double play. But he didn’t clear, threw sidearm, and hit Bryant in the shoulder for his first throwing error of the year. Colorado immediately made Keuchel pay. CJ Cron singled, scoring Bryant and then Brendan Rodgers launched a three-run homer to left center.

4-0 Rockies

T-2: Walker gets one of those runs back with his 20^th homerun of the year. A moon shot down the left field line that just barely stayed fair. 42 degree launch angle, highest on a homer by a D-back this year.

4-1 Rockies

B-2: Keuchel has a nice bounce back 1-2-3 inning, all groundball outs

T-3: Perdomo, Hager, and Luplow go down in order as well.

B-3: Bryant hit a line drive to the left centerfield gap, and tried to stretch the hit into a double, but Hummel got to the ball quickly and gunned him down at second base. Keuchel got two more groundball outs after that.

T-4: Hummel lead off by splitting the gap in right center, the ball going all the way to wall for a stand-up triple. Ketel Marte then dunked a ball into left for an RBI base hit. More bad luck for Walker, a 109 MPH line drive up the box was knocked down by Gomber, and he picked it up quickly and threw to second base to start a 1-6-3 double play.

4-2 Rockies

B-4: Randall Grichuk hit a two out double, a fly ball to the right centerfield track that fell just between Alek Thomas and Luplow. Keuchel issued back to back walks to Rodgers and Brian Serven to load the bases as his pitch count started to climb. Conor Joe then cleared the bases with a three run triple into the right field corner. Ouch.

7-2 Rockies

T-5: Three more D-back ground outs, makes five in a row.

B-5: Keuchel issued a two out walk to Rodgers, his third in the last two innings, but got Iglesias to line out to Hummel who made a nice running catch after adjusting. That’ll be all for Keuchel

5 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 96 pitches, 54 Strikes.

T-6: Jake Hager doubled off the wall in right, just missing his first homer of the year. Jordan Luplow singled him home for an RBI. Unfortunately Hummel grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. That cost at least a run, as Marte followed with his 5th homerun of the year, a fly ball that just cleared the wall in left. That knocked Gomber out of the game as Bud Black went to his bullpen, bringing in righty Jake Bird. Walker greeted him with a screaming line drive home run that hit the netting of the foul pole in left.

7-5 Rockies

B-6: J.B. Wendelken on to pitch. A ball hit the knob of Grichuk’s bat, and it looked like a piece of wood ricocheted and hit home plate umpire Jerry Layne, who had to be removed from the game. I hope he didn’t suffer a serious eye injury.

An infield single from McMahon and a two out walk to Joe was followed by Kris Bryant’s third hit of the night, an RBI single to left. Torey pulled J.B. and brought in Kyle Nelson to face Blackmon, who greeted him with a two run double to right center. Cron then dunked a blooper into shallow center to score Blackmond for an RBI and the 4th Rockies run of the inning.

11-5 Rockies

T-7: A quick 1-2-3 inning. The 5, 6, 7 ,& 8 hitters, Kennedy, Kelly, Thomas, & Perdomo are all 0 for 3 tonight.

B-7: Luke Weaver on for the second straight night, worked a scoreless inning, giving up just a harmless single.

T-8: Luplow hit a one out double but was stranded there when Hummel struck out and Ketel flew out to shallow centerfield.

B-8: Caleb Smith threw a scorless inning

T-9: Daulton Varsho hit a pinch hit two run homer, the 4th homer of the game for the D-backs, but it wasn’t enough.

Fangraphs Box

Good Year Blimp Crew: Ketel Marte +.08 WPA, Christian Walker + .04 WPA (Does not include defense

Hindenburg Crew: Dallas Keuchel -.33 WPA, Kyle Nelson -.09 WPA, J.B. Wendelken -.06 WPA

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