Arizona @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2018 ) Arizona 4, Colorado 5

The Arizona Diamondbacks have very little time to dwell on a crushing setback as they visit the Colorado Rockies on Thursday afternoon for the finale of their four-game series. Arizona was two outs away from drawing within 1 1/2 games of first-place Colorado in the National League West before DJ LeMahieu belted a walk-off, two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Rockies a 5-4 victory.

Eduardo Escobar and Alex Avila went deep in the setback for the Diamondbacks, who remained four games behind St. Louis for the second wild-card spot in the NL. Escobar has heated up in the high altitude, going 5-for-12 with a blast and three RBIs over the first three games of the series. Nolan Arenado also homered for Colorado as he and LeMahieu both finished with three hits and two RBIs while the team improved to 8-3 this month and maintained its 1 1/2-game division lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. LeMahieu has recorded multiple hits in six of his last seven contests, going 13-for-29 in that span.

TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, FB-WATCH

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Clay Buchholz (7-2, 2.01 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Kyle Freeland (14-7, 2.91)

Buchholz extended his unbeaten streak to five starts on Saturday against Atlanta but was denied a victory for the third straight time despite allowing two runs - one earned - and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. The 34-year-old Texan, who has given up more than two earned runs just twice in his 16 outings, has yielded a total of four runs - three earned - in 34 1/3 frames during his streak. Buchholz, who has suffered both of his losses on the road despite posting a 1.73 ERA over 10 turns, surrendered six runs and seven hits - three homers - over five innings of a loss in his only career start against Colorado on May 26, 2016 while with Boston.

Freeland is riding a seven-start unbeaten streak during which he has recorded five victories, including one against the Dodgers on Saturday in which he allowed one run and four hits over six innings. The 25-year-old native of Denver, who has won each of his last three overall outings, has gone 5-0 in eight turns at home since losing to Arizona on June 10. That setback dropped Freeland to 0-1 in three starts against the Diamondbacks this year and 1-2 with a 4.60 ERA in six career meetings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games after registering two of his team's four hits on Wednesday.

2. Arenado has recorded two doubles in back-to-back contests and driven in six runs during his four-game streak, leaving him one RBI shy of reaching the century mark for the fourth consecutive season.

3. Escobar, who already has set a career high with 81 RBIs, matched the personal best of 21 homers he hit last year with his blast on Wednesday.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 4, Rockies 2