Late Charge Secures Win for Arizona Diamondbacks
By Jesse Borek
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In stunning comeback fashion, the Arizona Diamondbacks shocked the Colorado Rockies by a final of 5-4.
Walk-off wins are fun. Especially, when a team has been as miserable in the early going as the Diamondbacks. They sent April out in style, with about the exact opposite way they performed everything else for the month.
Early on, it appeared to be more of the same. Josh Collmenter gave up a two-run home run to Carlos Gonzalez in the first, putting the club behind the eight-ball initially.
The D-backs dodged a bullet in the second. Rockies catcher Jordan Pacheco doubled and then moved to third on a wild pitch. Tagging up to score on a fly ball, Pacheco slid in safely underneath the tag of Miguel Montero after Gerardo Parra unleashed his powerful left arm on him. For a reason still unexplained, on the appeal, Pacheco was out for leaving the base early. When you are in the cellar, you will take all the breaks you can get.
In the top of the third, opposing pitcher Jordan Lyles took Collmenter deep, and another run scooted across before the Rockies had finished, putting them up 4-0.
Rejuvenated by the change of scenery to Colorado, Lyles has morphed into the pitcher many believed he could become while coming up with the Houston Astros. Over six strong innings, the D-backs could only muster a single run across the plate on the back of just three hits.
On the D-backs side, Josh Collmenter did not perform as admirably. He certainly managed to eat up innings by going seven, but his front three were less than inspiring. Still seemingly out of position in the Diamondbacks rotation, one has to wonder how much longer it will be until either Trevor Cahill or Randall Delgado gets his chance back amongst the starting five.
With a rally necessary to avoid the sweep, Paul Goldschmidt took Adam Ottavino deep to right field for his fourth home run of the season to cut the deficit in half.
The Rockies should have wrapped up the ninth inning in tidy fashion. If it were not for the slightest of bobbles by second baseman DJ LeMahieu, the Diamondbacks would have been retired and Rex Brothers would have nailed down the save. Due to the slightest inkling of indecision, A.J. Pollock was able to beat out the double play attempt and keep the ninth inning going.
Coming cold off the bench, Chris Owings doubled. Then, Gerardo Parra took a fastball in the ribs to load the bases for Martin Prado, who has been off to a slow start in 2014. All of that was put in the past as he drilled a two-run game-tying single back up the middle, finishing the night 3-for-4.
After Addison Reed played with fire in the top half of the tenth frame, Miguel Montero decided it was time for the paying customers to head home. Unloading on a no-doubter of a home run off Tommy Kahnle, Montero sent the Chase Field crowd home happy with a walk-off shot.
April was undoubtedly a miserable time to be a Diamondbacks fan. Not too much actually went right, outside of last evening where the book closed on the month that established the D-backs as the worst team in baseball, record wise. May brings new hope that despair is not a permanent sensation.
Now, the D-backs hit the road. They get Thursday off, before locking up with the San Diego Padres for a three-game set over the weekend.
In the opener, Bronson Arroyo pitches in the ballpark that seems made for him. At 7:15 p.m., tune in to see if Arroyo can finally spin one of the many gems Diamondbacks faithful expected from him at the time of his signing.