With the Diamondbacks down to their last strike, Jake McCarthy slapped a two-run single to left in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Arizona to a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday in Phoenix.
McCarthy stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded after Colorado reliever Victor Vodnik (3-3) walked Adrian Del Castillo and Geraldo Perdomo with two outs. Vodnik had fanned Kevin Newman after Corbin Carroll tripled with one out.
McCarthy fell behind 1-2 before grounding Vodnik’s 100-mph fastball into left field. The outfielder had three singles and two RBIs for Arizona, which secured its ninth straight series victory after winning 5-4 on Monday in the opener of a three-game set.
The Diamondbacks are 19-5 since the All-Star break and are tied with the San Diego Padres for the National League’s top wild-card spot.
Perdomo singled, walked twice and scored a run for Arizona, which also got RBIs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Josh Bell.
Joe Mantiply (6-2) earned the win after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth. Dylan Floro, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald also logged one scoreless frame apiece for the Diamondbacks, who held Colorado hitless after the third inning.
Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed three runs on six hits over five innings. He walked one and fanned five in his second start of the season after returning from a left shoulder strain.
Both teams scored twice in the third inning. Colorado went up 3-0 after Michael Toglia doubled home Brenton Doyle, who plated Ezequiel Tovar with a single earlier in the frame. Arizona countered with a run-scoring groundout from Gurriel and an RBI double from Bell against Rockies starter Austin Gomber.
Gomber surrendered two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four in six innings.
Colorado’s Jordan Beck broke a scoreless tie in the second inning with a looping two-out single that scored Brendan Rodgers, who had doubled with one out. Rodgers finished 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to eight games.
The Diamondbacks played without All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, who re-aggravated a left ankle injury during Monday’s win. Marte underwent an MRI before Tuesday’s game.
–Field Level Media