Surging D-backs shoot for another victory over Rockies
Arizona has won six of its past seven games to move closer to .500 and will aim for a fourth straight victory when it faces the Colorado Rockies on Friday in Denver.
The D-backs will send Brandon Pfaadt (12-7, 5.03 ERA) to the mound against Colorado's Tanner Gordon (2-5, 8.37), the rematch of a Sunday meeting in Phoenix.
Arizona won the opener of the current four-game series 8-2 on Thursday.
Pfaadt is 3-2 with a 5.26 ERA in five career starts against the Rockies, including a 1-1 mark with a 6.30 ERA in two outings this year.
Pfaadt earned a win on Sunday after allowing three runs on 11 hits over five innings. He got plenty of run support in that 13-6 victory, and one of the offensive heroes was Ketel Marte, who had three RBIs.
Marte has been on a tear since the beginning of August, including hitting ninth-inning go-ahead home runs in consecutive wins at Texas this week. He has reached base in all 12 games he has played this month, producing a .354 (17-for-48) average with three homers and 14 RBIs.
He has raised his average nine points to .296 and has 23 homers on the season.
"My body is good, I'm healthy," Marte said after his three-run homer on Wednesday gave Arizona a 6-4 win over the Rangers. "I've just got to believe it. That's the kind of player I am."
The D-backs' offense has been strong overall of late. Arizona has scored at least one run in the first three innings in each of the last 12 games and has scored a big-league-high 15 runs in the first inning since Aug. 1.
Colorado has been victimized four times against the Diamondbacks, including a three-game sweep in Arizona last weekend. The Rockies bounced back to take two of three at St. Louis heading into the current series before their modest two-game winning streak ended on Thursday.
Gordon has been knocked around by the D-backs in his short career, going 0-2 with a 21.94 ERA in two starts. He gave up 10 runs on 12 hits over 4 2/3 innings on Sunday. In his first start against the Diamondbacks, he got just two outs and yielded four runs (three earned) in a start at Arizona on Aug. 14, 2024.
Colorado has lost eight of 10 meetings with the Diamondbacks this year. Arizona has outscored the Rockies 33-16 in the four matchups this month and is averaging 7.5 runs this season against Colorado.
The Rockies need 10 wins in their final 41 games to avoid matching the 2024 Chicago White Sox (41-121) for the most single-season losses by a major league team in the modern era. Colorado was 22-74 at the All-Star break but began the second half 8-6 to put itself on pace to surpass 42 wins, but nine losses in the past 11 games have slowed that momentum.
"The results haven't always been there for us, but there's not much quit in this team," catcher Hunter Goodman said. "I mean, we're showing up every day (and) we're trying to get better."
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Yankees' Max Fried looks for reset against Cardinals
August 16 - As the New York Yankees try to persist in the crowded American League wild-card race, they would love to see pitcher Max Fried regain his form from earlier in the season. Fried (12-5, 2.94 ERA) allowed eight runs on 16 hits in 10 innings in his past two starts, both New York losses. On Saturday night, he will start as the Yankees visit the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle game of a three-game series. The Yankees won 4-3 on Friday for their third victory in four games. New York is in the third AL wild-card slot, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. Fried had a 1.92 ERA in his first 17 starts this season, then allowed 29 runs (24 earned) in his past 36 innings over seven starts. "I do think his stuff is good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Fried's most recent appearance, a 7-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday. "He is throwing hard. His cutter looks good to me. The breaks on his pitches are good. ... It comes down to command throughout. I feel like he has been a little bit scattered throughout." Fried is 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA in six career appearances against the Cardinals, including five starts. The Yankees might get former Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt back in the starting lineup for Saturday's game. Goldschmidt, who is recovering from a mild knee strain, came off the bench as a defensive replacement Friday. "I knew we were coming here, and I would love to play," Goldschmidt said. "But if that wasn't going to be possible, or it was going to be an injury risk, I understand the big picture. I was not going to try to push it any more than I would against anyone else." The Cardinals have dropped three consecutive games while losing ground in the National League wild-card race. They are 3 1/2 games out of the third and final wild card. They will start right-hander Sonny Gray (11-5, 4.06 ERA), who allowed just three runs (two earned) on six hits in 14 innings in his past two starts. He struck out 15 batters and walked only two. Gray had that success against the Dodgers in Los Angeles and against the Chicago Cubs at home, both 3-2 Cardinals wins. He said the big-game atmosphere against those contenders brought the best out of him. "I do just think these games are more fun," Gray said. "You play the Dodgers in Dodger Stadium, I enjoy and I appreciate the challenge. It's kind of like, 'OK, let's see where I'm at, let's see where I stack up.' I appreciate that challenge. "It's a Sunday Night Baseball game on national TV against the Cubs, in a rivalry. It's just a little bit more fun. It's another thing of, let's see where I stack up. I've got all my friends watching; I'm not trying to look like an idiot out there." The game with the Yankees is another nationally televised contest against a marquee opponent. Gray, who was with the Yankees in 2017-18 seasons, is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in seven career starts against them. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (bruised foot) and utility player Brendan Donovan (left foot soreness, left groin strain) are questionable for Saturday's game after sitting out Friday. --Field Level Media
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Reuters
Hunter Goodman blasts 25th homer as Rockies nip Diamondbacks
August 16 - Hunter Goodman homered, Kyle Karros added two hits and scored once as the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 in Denver on Friday night. Tanner Gordon (3-5) allowed three runs on five hits in five-plus innings and Victor Vodnik picked up his fifth save for Colorado, which snapped a four-game skid against Arizona. Jake McCarthy had two hits for the D-backs, who lost for just the fourth time in the last 13 games. Arizona entered Friday with a streak of 12 games in which it scored a run in the first three innings, but the Rockies were the ones who jumped ahead in the first inning. Goodman hit the first pitch he saw from Brandon Pfaadt in the seats in left-center field to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. It was Goodman's team-leading 25th homer of the season. The Rockies tacked on another run in the third when Ryan Ritter led off with a double, went to third on a groundout and scored on Mickey Moniak's sacrifice fly. Arizona tied it in the fourth. Corbin Carroll had a one-out single, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled and McCarthy singled to drive in Carroll. Gurriel scored on a groundout off the bat of Tyler Locklear to make it 2-2. Colorado went back in front in the bottom of the inning when Karros scored on a groundout put in play by Yanquiel Fernandez. Tyler Freeman led off the fifth with a triple and scored on a two-out double by Jordan Beck that put the Rockies ahead 4-2. Pfaadt (12-8) got out of the frame without further damage. He allowed four runs on eight hits and walked two in six innings of work. The Diamondbacks mounted a rally in the sixth. Ketel Marte led off with a single and Carroll walked, ending Gordon's night. Jimmy Herget got Gurriel to ground into a fielder's choice, moving Marte to third, and he scored on McCarthy's single but Carroll was thrown out at third to snuff out the rally. Herget, Juan Mejia and Vodnik held the D-backs to one hit over the final four innings. --Field Level Media
Rhyl Journal
21 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney praised after Wrexham sign Nathan Broadhead
Wales striker Broadhead joined from Ipswich on Thursday in a reported deal worth up to £10million, although Parkinson quipped Wrexham would have 'to get in the Premier League and win the Champions League' for the fee to reach that figure. Broadhead became Wrexham's ninth summer signing for a campaign which sees them playing in the second tier of English football just three seasons after being in the National League. 'The backing (from owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney) is key,' manager Parkinson said ahead of West Brom's visit to the SToK Cae Ras on Saturday – Wrexham's first home game at this level since beating Rotherham 3-2 on May 15, 1982. 'There's a lot of spending power in the division. Really since day one, because we've moved so quickly as a club, we've always had to work hard to fast-track the quality level to the first team. 'We've always been playing catch up, even in the National League we were behind a lot of clubs development-wise – the structure, academy, players coming through. 'We had to improve the standard and that filters down. The structure behind the first team has become stronger with the formation of the academy a couple of years ago. 'We've come into this division very quickly and it's important we've brought in Championship standard players to help us on this journey. Also, to help the existing players who have do so well over the last few years.' The addition of Bangor-born Broadhead, who was in the Wrexham youth system before joining Everton at the age of 10, is the biggest statement yet the Red Dragons have made in the transfer market under their Hollywood owners. The 27-year-old has won 14 Wales caps and made 18 Premier League appearances for Ipswich last term in a season disrupted by injuries. Parkinson said: 'We've been looking at Nathan throughout the summer. 'A fee had been agreed with Ipswich for quite a long time, but they wanted to bring a player in so we had to be patient. 'He's got that Championship pedigree and the ability to create something in tight situations. 'You need players to unlock the door and create moments in games, and Nathan's got that. 'The story of him coming back home is a great one as well. He was at a great club at Ipswich but he has shown a real desire to come and play for us.' Wrexham lost their Championship opener at Southampton 2-1 last weekend, with two late Saints goals condemning them to painful defeat. Summer signing Kieffer Moore was forced off with ankle ligament damage in the second half but Parkinson provided a positive fitness update on the Wales targetman, although no date has been given for his return. He said: 'Kieffer's not as bad as we feared. With a ligament injury like that you always fear it's going to be something worse. 'But it's not a serious injury and he's making great progress.'
