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The victory was the fifth straight for the Diamondbacks, who will
try to sweep the three-game series Wednesday.
The Rockies lost for the fourth time in five games and fell to 4-10
at home as they continue to search for success at Coors Field.
Colorado struggled there last season, finishing with a 36-45 home
record.
"It's concerning," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said of his team's
problems at Coors Field. "Usually this is where we play real well,
historically. So it's strange, but I do believe we'll turn it around
as we get deeper in the season."
The Rockies have lost seven straight games at Coors Field for the
first time since July 17-Aug. 1, 2012. They dropped eight straight
games at Coors Field from Sept. 15, 2011-April 9, 2012, and set the
franchise record of nine consecutive home losses at Mile High
Stadium in 1993, the Rockies' initial season.
After five scoreless innings, the Diamondbacks broke through with
four runs in the sixth against Chris Rusin (1-1). Paul Goldschmidt
homered in the seventh to make it 5-0.
De La Rosa (4-4) overmatched the Rockies, holding them to one run on
four hits with one walk and six strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. In his
past four starts, De La Rosa is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA, compiling six
walks and 26 strikeouts in that span.
"Establishing the fastball inside," Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale
said when asked why De La Rosa has been so effective lately. "When
you throw 95, to 97, 98 miles an hour, the hitters have to respect
that ball in there, which opens up the rest of the plate."
Namely, for his slider, which De La Rosa said was working very well
and helped him become the first Arizona pitcher to throw seven
scoreless innings in a start at Coors Field since Ian Kennedy threw
six scoreless innings on Sept. 12, 2010. De La Rosa made three
relief appearances last month, two in extra-inning games and he said
that brief time in the bullpen was beneficial.
"That helped me a lot," he said. "I just think that right now every
inning is just like coming from the bullpen. Go there and try to
retire three hitters and go back down. That's kind of how I think
about it."
The Rockies didn't get two runners on base in an inning until the
eighth. De La Rosa issued his lone walk to Tony Wolters to open the
inning. Mark Reynolds' broken-bat single sent the runner to third,
and Wolters scored on De La Rosa's wild pitch.
In the Arizona sixth, Welington Castro lined a leadoff double and
moved up on Jake Lamb's slow grounder. Yasmany Tomas, who went
3-for-3 after missing four games with a stiff neck, was
intentionally walked. Chris Owings foiled that strategy with a hit
to left-center that he hustled into an RBI double.
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No. 8 hitter Nick Ahmed drove an opposite-field single to right to
score Tomas.
After De La Rosa's safety squeeze brought Owings home, Ahmed scored
on a Jean Segura single to make it 4-0. That finished Rusin, who
allowed four runs on 10 hits (seven singles and three doubles) in 5
2/3 innings and was unable to set the Diamondbacks down in order.
Goldschmidt's homer was his seventh of the season and first since
April 27. It came on a first-pitch fastball from Gonzalez Germen and
traveled an estimated 431 feet.
Hale praised Goldschmidt for being "aggressive in the zone,"
particularly after taking called third strikes from Rusin his first
two at-bats.
NOTES: Diamondbacks 2B Jean Segura extended his career-high streak
of reaching base safely to 17 consecutive games. ... Diamondbacks OF
Yasmany Tomas returned to the lineup after missing the previous four
games with a stiff neck and went 3-for-4 with a double.
...Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt has reached base safely in 43
straight games against the Rockies, a franchise record against any
opponent. ... Arizona RHP Evan Marshall was recalled from Triple-A
Reno. He took the roster spot of RHP Archie Bradley, who was
optioned to Reno after his spot start Monday. ... Diamondbacks OF
David Peralta was not in the lineup a second straight day due to
right wrist soreness. ... The Diamondbacks signed OF Michael Bourn,
33, to a minor league contract and assigned him to Double-A Mobile.
... Rockies SS Trevor Story entered the game with 15 RBIs against
the Diamondbacks, which is the most ever for a rookie in a single
season against them. He went 0-for-4. ... Rockies LHP Jorge De La
Rosa (strained left groin) returned to the team to prepare for his
second, and most likely last, rehab start Saturday for Triple-A
Albuquerque.
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