TL;DR: The team rode a strong, balanced offensive showing and a season-defining performance from Eduardo Rodriguez to avoid a humiliating, high-altitude sweep.
Through the first half of the season, there was a running joke in certain D-Backs circles that Eduardo Rodriguez was simply a figment of our collective imaginations as the veteran required an extended stint on the injured list before finally being activated at the beginning of August. Since then, he has been a shadow of the imposing presence in the rotation that he had established with both the Tigers and Red Sox previously, pitching to a disappointing 5.50 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. Today however, may have been his coming out party in Sedona Red. The team was desperate for a win to avoid their first sweep at the hands of the Rockies in several years and try to keep pace with a ludicrously hot Mets squad and an exceedingly talented Padres – both of which refuse to back down an inch. This was exactly the kind of situation for which Mike Hazen had envisioned when Rodriguez was inked to a four year/$80 million contract last offseason. He delivered a “stopper” level performance heading into a high-profile matchup with the Brewers this weekend in Milwaukee ahead of the teams’ final homestand against the Giants and Padres which may determine their postseason fate.
Even with Rodriguez’s fantastic performance, the story of the series coming into this matchup had been the disappearing act by the league’s second-best offense against the league’s worst pitching staff. Coming into this afternoon’s matchup, the D-Backs had put up just four runs on 14 hits – going a putrid 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the series. They had only managed two home runs and just four extra base hits in a stadium that is notorious for both. In the afternoon sun, they put those power-outage problems to the side as they collected three home runs and five extra base hits in a trio of three-run innings. It was a balanced attack with every starter in the lineup getting on base at least once and all but Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo collecting at least one hit.
As he so often did last year, Corbin Carroll set the tone early, taking the second pitch he saw from journeyman Austin Gomber into the Arizona bullpen for his first of two home runs on the day to give the D-Backs and Rodriguez an early 1-0 lead. The rest of his teammates must have taken their cues from the youngster as they jumped all over Gomber early with a double from Randal Grichuk and RBI-singles from Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno in the first frame plating the game’s first three runs for an early 3-0 Arizona lead. Carroll provided a sequel performance in the next frame when he lined an elevated Gomber slider over the high fence in right field to plate himself and Perdomo who had gotten aboard via an error from Brendan Rogers to extend the lead 5-0. Grichuk, who has been one of the hottest hitters in the Arizona lineup this month with a .448/.484/1.069 slash line in limited duty, evidently enjoyed returning to Coors Field as he connected on a solo homer of his own exactly one pitch later for a follow-up three-run performance to the first inning.
While his teammates were taking care of business with the sticks, Rodriguez was putting together an equally impressive showing of his own. After mowing down the first six Rockies’ hitters, the southpaw lost his rhythm in the home half of the third when he was victimized by consistent, but weak contact. In their second time facing the veteran, the Rockies switched to a more aggressive approach – swinging and connecting on the first pitch of the at-bat in three consecutive plate appearances. The only hit of the inning that was hard hit (i.e. having an exit velocity of 95+) was a leadoff single from Sam Hilliard, but the three consecutive singles were excellently placed to evade defenders and the final one from Ezequiel Tovar plated Colorado’s first two runs to shrink the Arizona lead 6-2. It would be the final time a runner reached scoring position under Rodriguez’s watch as he would allow just one hit and one walk for the remainder of his outing.
For the most part, Rodriguez leaned on his cutter and four-seamer as they combined for nearly 78% of his 94 pitches. The fastball was particularly effective rising in the upper part or above the zone entirely and the Rockies’ hitters struggled to lay off the pitch throughout his outing. He was also able to minimize the free passes – something that has been a particular struggle of his in his Arizona tenure as he’s allowed multiple walks in four of his first appearances with the club. It’s especially important in a stadium like Coors where the ball can carry more easily and offenses can more easily rally in general. Encouragingly, he looked more like he was in command of most of his arsenal and it culminated in his best performance to date with the D-Backs and added further reason for him to be on any potential playoff roster.
Meanwhile, the D-Backs offense seemed to be falling into one of its worst recent tendencies during this September swoon: breakout early and then go dormant for the remainder of the game. Following the fireworks and slug of the first two innings, the lineup would produce just three hits and five baserunners over the ensuing six innings. The only scoring threat in that period was snuffed out on an excellent throw home by Hilliard that just beat a cantering Pavin Smith. In much the same way that I describe the Arizona heat to non-Arizonans as being ten to fifteen degrees colder than the thermometer reading due to the lack of humidity, a four-run lead at Coors feels closer to a two-run lead elsewhere. Thus, entering the ninth when my father texted to ask how I was feeling about the game, I responded that I would feel better if they could generate some insurance, the team promptly delivered.
Carroll once again started the inning by coaxing a walk from the newest Colorado reliever Tyler Kinley on an eleven-pitch battle that included five foul balls from the young outfielder. Joc Pederson, inserted into the lineup for Grichuk, promptly moved Carroll to third on a single before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Christian Walker. The team wasn’t finished however as Smith smacked a double down the line into the right field corner to score Pederson and when rookie Jordan Beck struggled to corral the ball, Smith moved up another 90 feet. Eugenio Suarez, mired in one of his patented cold spells delivered one final blow with a single through the left side of the infield to plate Smith for the ninth and final Arizona run that put the scoring in more comfortable range. That wouldn’t stop the Arizona bullpen from doing its best to make it a bit more interesting however as Joe Mantiply allowed the first three Colorado hitters to reach – including a two-run double from Hilliard. Obligingly, Beck, following his error in the top half of the inning, immediately bounced into a double play before Aaron Schunk flew out to Jake McCarthy to seal the much-needed victory.
The win trimmed the Arizona magic number for a playoff berth to nine with the rest of the team’s NL Wild Card rivals also winning their respective matchups. There is a faint possibility that the Brewers may alter their playing strategy over this weekend series now that they’ve officially clinched a division title, but there’s also no love lost between these teams after last year’s drubbing of the Brew Crew by the D-Backs. Regardless, the team is in an enviable position despite their recent woes to seal consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in over 20 years. It should be a fun ride, let’s buckle up folks!
