The Colorado Rockies, fresh off a four-game sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles, picked up another road win in the NL West on Monday. Colorado defeated the other team above them in the division standings, Arizona, by a score of 5-4, surviving a big scare for one of their star rookie pitchers.
Kyle Freeland was struck in the shoulder by a 115-mph line drive off the bat of J.D. Martinez in the top of the fourth inning. The rookie left-hander said postgame he also felt the impact in his face. He left the game immediately. His status will be updated Tuesday.
Freeland gave way to Tyler Anderson(4-5, 5.75 ERA), who in his first big-league action since June 25 allowed just one hit over four innings to earn the win in emergency relief.
Zack Greinke pitched seven innings for Arizona, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out six. Greinke drove in the game’s first run on a bases-loaded infield single in the second inning. DJ LeMahieu recorded a force out on Brandon Drury trying to score from second to end the inning.
LeMahieu had a big night for Colorado, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI. He was a home run short of the cycle.
His night at the plate was trumped by Nolan Arenado, as was his stellar defensive play. Arenado made the play of the night – a diving grab into foul territory before throwing out A.J. Pollock to lead off the bottom of the sixth. In the eighth, Arenado would do it with his bat, knocking a three-run home run off Jake Barrett (1-1, 5.14) to give Colorado a 5-2 lead. Arenado had two hits and four RBI in the game.
Jake McGee and Pat Neshek would let the Diamondbacks right back into the game in the bottom half of the eighth, however. They would combine to allow two runs on three hits and a walk, retiring just one hitter apiece. Mike Dunn stopped the bleeding to preserve a one-run lead.
Greg Holland didn’t make it easy in the ninth. He compounded a LeMahieu error by walking David Peralta. Both runners would move into scoring position on a wild pitch, but Holland managed to navigate the traffic to earn his 40th save on the year. He is now one shy of tying the single-season club record.
Colorado is now the winner of five straight games against NL West opponents on the road, and seven of their last eight games overall (all against division opponents). The Rockies picked up a half-game over St. Louis and a full game over Milwaukee for the final Wild Card spot. The Cardinals are now 3.5 back, while the Brewers are 4.0. Arizona holds the top NL Wild Card spot by 4.0 games over Colorado.
The Rockies and Diamondbacks resume their four-game series in Arizona on Tuesday. First pitch is 7:40 p.m. MDT. Jon Gray (7-4, 4.07) faces Taijuan Walker (9-7, 3.33).
