Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez hit a two-out 72.3 mph blooper into no-man’s land. Rockies left fielder Nolan Jones raced over, desperate to make the catch. He dove, came up empty, and two runs came in.
And so it goes for the Rockies.
They lost 5-3 to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field and are now 3-10 to begin the season.
Right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence committed the baseball sin of walking the leadoff hitter, Ketel Marte. He also issued a two-out walk to Christian Walker. But given Walker’s penchant for punishing the Rockies, Lawrence was wise to pitch him ultra-carefully.
The Rockies had a chance to take the lead in the eighth when Brendan Rodgers broke out of his slump with a two-out double into the right-field corner, but lefty reliever Joe Mantiply came in to get Michael Toglia to pop out to left.
Colorado loaded the bases in the ninth but Jones flew out to center to end the game.
Colorado starter Austin Gomber deserved a better fate. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits over six innings, striking out two and walking two. Gomber was a little shaky early on. Corbin Carroll ripped him for a one-out double in the first and scored on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s single to right. In the second, Blaze Alexander led off with a wind-blown homer to right.
But Gomber blanked the D-backs for the next four innings, giving up just two hits and two walks.
Arizona tied the game, 3-3, in the seventh against reliever Jake Bird, who gave up a two-out, RBI double to Gurriel.
Tovar continues to be Colorado’s best everyday player. He led off the first with a single to left off Arizona lefty Tommy Henry and scored on Elehuris Montero’s single to left.
Colorado took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on Toglia’s two-run homer to dead center. Toglia drove in Rodgers, who reached on an error by Alexander at shortstop. Toglia’s homer was his team-leading third of the season.
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