Field Level Media
Sep 22, 2018
Colorado first baseman Ian Desmond drove in three runs, two on a single to cap a four-run eighth inning, and the Rockies received seven strong innings from right-hander German Marquez for a 6-2 victory over the host Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Friday.
DJ LeMahieu had two hits, and Charlie Blackmon extended his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the majors, as the Rockies (83-70) broke a three-game losing streak to remain 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the second NL wild-card spot. Colorado also moved within 1 1/2 games of the Dodgers for the NL West lead after L.A. lost to San Diego.
Marquez (13-10) gave up a two-run homer to David Peralta in the first inning but did not permit another runner past second base while extending his streak of quality starts to 11.
Marquez struck out 11 and has 210 strikeouts this season, joining Pedro Astacio and Ubaldo Jimenez as the only pitchers in Rockies' history with 200 strikeouts in a season.
Peralta and Jon Jay had two hits apiece for the Diamondbacks (79-75), who have lost 10 of 13 and are six games behind St. Louis in the wild-card race and have an elimination number of three.
The Rockies sent 10 men to the plate against four D-backs pitchers to break a tie in the eighth inning, and they scored all four runs with two outs.
Zack Greinke (14-11) gave up a single to pinch hitter Gerardo Parra and struck out Matt Holliday before being replaced by Jake Diekman, who then hit Blackmon with a pitch.
Brad Ziegler entered and got LeMahieu to ground into a fielder's choice at second base, a call that was upheld after a video review confirmed the Blackmon did not violate the slide rule when he held his hands high while going into second.
David Dahl singled to drive in Parra on the first pitch after play resumed, and Nolan Arenado singled in LeMahieu for a 4-2 lead. Carlos Gonzalez walked before Desmond's single drove in two more.
Greinke gave up four hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings, with six strikeouts and two walks. He will have at least one more chance to reach the 15-win plateau for the eighth time in his career.
Jay doubled on the first pitch of the first inning and scored on Peralta's two-run homer, also on the first pitch he saw. Peralta has 29 homers. His previous career high was 17, set in 2015.
Colorado did not get a ball out of the infield against Greinke until the fourth inning, when Blackmon and Dahl flied out, but Desmond broke up the no-hitter with an RBI single in the fifth inning after Gonzalez walked and took second on a wild pitch.
Colorado tied it at 2 on consecutive two-out doubles by Blackmon and LeMahieu in the sixth inning.
--Field Level Media