D-backs walked off again, losing 13-10 in Colorado

It was a cold and rainy night in Denver but the balls were still flying out in a crazy Coors Field game. The Diamondbacks came back from an 8-1 deficit to take a 10-8 thanks to a 9-run fifth inning that was punctuated by Daulton Varsho's first career Grand Slam. But the Rockies tied it up with single runs in the 6th & 7th off the D-backs beleaguered bullpen. Colorado then walked it off in the bottom of the 9th on a three-run homer by Elias Diaz against Caleb Smith, giving the Rockies a 13-10 victory. Diaz drove in a career high 7 runs with two homers and a double. There were 8 homeruns hit in the game, 5 by Colorado and 3 by Arizona.

The game started out well for the D-backs when Jake McCarthy hit his 8th homer of the year in the first inning off of Rockies starter German Márquez.

I expected more power to come from Jale McCarthy but he’s begun exceeding expectations. Love to see it.

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— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) September 10, 2022

Zach Davies gave that right back when he allowed the first of two Ryan McMahon solo homers in the bottom of the first. Davies walked two batters and battled through 30 pitches before getting out of the first without any more runs scored, but the tone for his outing was set.

In the bottom of the second inning rookie Michael Toglia ripped a double on the first pitch he saw, and Elias Diaz also hit the first pitch, this time for a two run homer to left making it 3-1 Colorado. It seemed like Davies would settle down. He struck out the final two batters he faced that inning and pitched a scoreless third. But he got knocked out of the game in the 4th inning, allowing three more runs on two singles, a walk and McMahon's second homer, his 15th of the year. Davies final line was 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3BB. 4K, 3 HR

Keynan Middleton relieved Davies but gave up a base hit to Yonathan Daza and then a 504 foot homerun to C.J. Cron. It was the longest homer in all of MLB so far this year and capped a 5 run Rockies 4th inning

C.J. Cron 504 fr, Longest HR in the majors this year 2nd longest in Statcast era

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— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) September 10, 2022

Márquez cruised through the 4th inning, but the top of the 5th would be a historic one for the D-backs. It started with a Corbin Carroll opposite field homer to left, his 2nd of the year. Marquez then allowed two walks, a hit by pitch 3 singles, bringing in 4 more runs and finally was lifted with the bases loaded. Austin Gomber came in to face Daulton Varsho, and this happened.

This has turned into an amazing year for Daulton Varsho. This is his first career grand slam

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— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) September 10, 2022

With that homer the D-backs had scored 9 runs without an out being recorded, the first time they've done that in franchise history and just the 8th time that has happened in MLB since 1974. They brought 12 men to the plate in the inning and every batter in the inning scored a run.

That was all the offense could muster however as they had just one hit and one walk over the final 4 innings. The Rockies got to the D-backs pen with a run in the 6th when Kyle Nelson allowed an RBI base hit to Yonathan Daza who drove in Alan Trejo who had double with one out. In the 7th Reyes Moronta gave up a lead off walk and a two out RBI double to Diaz that tied up the game at 10 all.

Caleb Smith worked a scoreless 8th and came back out for the 9th. A leadoff walk was erased when pinch runner Garrett Hampson was called out stealing after replay review. But with two outs Smith walked Randall Grichuk and Toglia had a base hit, setting up Diaz walkoff blast.

Daniel Bard picked up the win by pitching a scoreless 9th, improving to 5-4. Smith drops to 1-2 on the year. It was the D-backs MLB worst 34th loss by a reliever.

It was the second walk off loss suffered by the D-backs this road trip. They have now lost three games in a row and fall to 65-72. They remain a half game ahead of the Giants for 3rd place in the NL West, but hopes of a .500 season are fading fast.