The Diamondbacks missed an opportunity to create more separation in the Wild Card race in a sluggish 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies scored the winning run in the ninth when Geraldo Perdomo threw the ball away attempting to turn a double play off the bat of Brendan Rodgers after Arizona built an early two-run lead.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It was a real shocker for Perdomo to make an error at all, with only three errors in 84 games at shortstop this season, on a routine play in a critical situation. Had the throw been on target, it would have likely been a double play and Arizona in a good position to force extra innings with one more quality pitch.
“He just yanked his throw up the line,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo postgame on DbacksTV. “I haven’t seen it, but I was told if it was a clean throw it would have been a big double play. We get used to watching our guys make those types of plays, it doesn’t happen very often.”
The Diamondbacks offense jumped on Antonio Senzatela, who was making his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, scoring two runs just two batters into the game. Corbin Carroll tripled to the left center field gap, although it took a challenge to overturn an out call by third base umpire Malachi Moore, tying the franchise single-season record for triples at 14. Ketel Marte jumped on a fastball out over the plate for a 460-foot blast to put Arizona up 2-0.
Ketel Marte crushes a center-cut fastball for his 32nd homer of the year. Ties his career best and puts the #Dbacks up 2-0 in the first. pic.twitter.com/j870Ub7mI4
— Burn City D-backs (@BurnCityDbacks) September 17, 2024
Those would be the only two runs the Diamondbacks would score, however. They had some promising innings get short-circuited by double plays, hitting into four on the night. The fourth and seventh innings stand out as the biggest missed opportunities on the night. Both innings, the first two batters reached only for the third to hit into a double play and the team unable to get the big two-out hit.
Merrill Kelly made the early lead stand, as he turned in an encouraging start. Despite pitching in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the major leagues, he held the Rockies to one run on two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts over six innings. Accounting for how Kelly’s last start ended and the taxing nature of pitching at high altitude, Lovullo had a quick hook on the veteran right-hander, clipping him at 83 pitches.
“Merrill was fantastic. I decided to take him out at 83 pitches, given everything he had been through with his last start up here in this altitude. I don’t want to risk anything, I liked where it ended right there. It was one run over six innings, it was quality. He said he was fine to go back out there but I just made the decision to go to the bullpen.”
That decision came back to haunt the Diamondbacks the following inning, as Kevin Ginkel blew the lead for the second straight game. After retiring the first two hitters in just four pitches, he left a slider up and out over the plate to Hunter Goodman. Goodman hit a line drive that cleared the fence to tie the game 2-2.
The game remained tied until the ninth. Ryan Thompson, who got the final out of the eighth, came on to face the middle of the Rockies lineup. Brenton Doyle led off the inning with a single, then stole second. An intentional walk to Ryan McMahon put the Diamondbacks in a double play situation with a sinker ball pitcher on the mound. Thompson got a broken-bat ground ball to second, with Marte flipping to Perdomo for the first out, but the relay throw to first missed Walker by 10 feet to the outfield side of first base, allowing Doyle to score from third for the walk-off win.
With the Dodgers defeating the Braves 9-0, the Diamondbacks still hold a two-game lead for a playoff spot with 12 games to go. Despite the loss, their magic number to clinch a Wild Card has dropped to 11.
Next Game
The Diamondbacks will have to shake off the loss when they take on the Rockies for the second game of the series. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (8-6, 6.25 ERA) will make his first start since August 21 while Colorado will counter with right-hander Ryan Feltner (2-10, 4.89 ERA). First pitch at Coors Field is set for 5:40 P.M. MST.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
