It probably wasn’t how Chad Qualls would have dreamed up the night when he passed Tug McGraw on the MLB all-time list for appearances. The Rockies reliever was called upon to pitch 0.2 innings of mop up duty in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 11-4 drubbing at the hands of the Diamondbacks to notch his 825th career appearance and move past McGraw for 45th on the all-time list. The damage was done well in advance of Qualls’ noteworthy appearance, however.
Jorge De La Rosa and Eddie Butler combined for just 4.2 innings pitched on Tuesday but surrendered all 11 Arizona runs. Colorado jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Diamondbacks even sent a batter to the plate, but De La Rosa allowed four runs in the first inning himself. D.J. LeMahieu extended his on-base streak to 30 games with an RBI double in the first inning and Charlie Blackmon homered – the few bright spots on a disappointing night in the desert.
Six different Rockies pitchers allowed 17 hits in total, including one by Qualls. The right-hander needs three more appearances to tie Julian Tavarez for 44th on the all-time list.