Diamondbacks take lead on back-to-back wild pitches, rally for 5-4 win over the Rockies

By DAVID BRANDT

PHOENIX — Corbin Carroll and Kevin Newman scrambled home on back-to-back wild pitches in the seventh inning, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Colorado Rockies 5-4 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

The D-backs continued their extended roll, with an 18-5 record since the All-Star break.

Joc Pederson came to the plate in the seventh with Arizona trailing 4-3, two outs and runners on first and third, but he never had to hit the ball to put his team ahead. Tyler Kinley’s first wild pitch scored Carroll easily and Newman advanced all the way to third after getting a head start while stealing second.

Two pitches later, Kinley bounced another pitch that catcher Elias Díaz couldn’t quite handle. Newman made a daring dash home, sliding in ahead of the throw for the lead.

Jake McCarthy added two hits and two RBIs. Newman and Josh Bell also had two hits. Justin Martinez handled the ninth — working around a leadoff single — for his third save.

Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (7-6) tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts over seven innings. The lanky right-hander gave up four runs and eight hits.

Colorado’s Bradley Blalock made his team debut and just his second big-league appearance. The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings, holding his own against an Arizona lineup that had scored 23 runs over the previous two days in wins over the Phillies. He struck out four.

The Rockies built a 4-1 lead in the sixth on Brendan Rodgers’ solo homer that just cleared the center-field wall. But the Diamondbacks cut it to 4-3 in the bottom of the frame after run-scoring hits from Bell and McCarthy.

Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the second on McCarthy’s RBI double. Colorado evened the score in the third on a looping RBI single by Diaz.

Jake Cave had three hits for the Rockies. Anthony Molina (1-1) took the loss after giving up two runs in one inning of relief.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Blalock was called up from Double-A Hartford and OF Jordan Beck came up from Triple-A Albuquerque. Kris Bryant was placed on the 10-day IL (back strain) retroactive to Aug. 11. LHP Josh Rogers was designated for assignment.

Diamondbacks: Ketel Marte was in Monday’s starting lineup after missing Sunday’s game with a left ankle contusion, but the second baseman left after his first at-bat because of pain in the same ankle. He was replaced by Kevin Newman.

Tuesday’s pitching matchup

Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (3-8, 4.92 ERA) at Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0, 4.76)

7:40 p.m. Tuesday, Chase Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

Last week, Colorado manager Bud Black called Gomber’s recent outings “rocky.” The Florida native has struggled lately, with a 5.54 ERA over his last seven games. On Thursday he gave up five runs in three innings against the Mets, who went on to win 9-1 at Coors Field. Things looked a little better in his last start against Arizona back on April 10, when he allowed two runs over six innings and struck out four. His last start at Chase Field was a March 30 win in which he pitched 4 2/3 innings for four runs on six hits and struck out three.

Rodriguez, who signed with Arizona in the offseason, returned last week from a nearly five-month absence due to a shoulder injury. His season debut was a 5-3 win over Cleveland in which he threw 5 2/3 innings to the tune of four hits (including two homers), two runs and one strikeout. He last pitched against the Rockies back on Aug. 28, 2019, at Coors Field as a member of the Red Sox. He allowed three runs and struck out five batters in five innings of work.