Arizona Diamondbacks' Felipe Lopez eludes the tag of Colorado Rockies Todd Helton on a pick-off attempt in the first inning Tuesday.
PHOENIX – It has been 16 days, 14 games and nearly five series . . . and the Arizona Diamondbacks have yet to win two games in a row this season.
They blew a three-run lead Tuesday night, a kick in the shin for a team trying to generate a trace of momentum. The Rockies scored four times in the sixth and added two more in the eighth to steal a 9-6 win at Chase Field.
“It gets a little frustrating for all the guys, but we’ve got to keep battling,” Arizona catcher Miguel Montero said.
The silver lining: The Diamondbacks still can win their first series of the season with a win Wednesday.
Dan Haren pitches opposite Jorge De La Rosa.
Already in this first month, both the starting pitching and the offense have failed the Diamondbacks.
Tuesday, it was the bullpen’s turn. Given a 6-3 lead to start the sixth, Bobby Korecky, Doug Slaten and Juan Gutierrez couldn’t make it stand, giving up four runs, muting the buzz from 25,411 fans.
Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe had key hits in the inning, and the surge carried over.
Helton belted a two-run homer in the eighth off Jon Rauch, a reliever who has given up runs in six of eight outings.
Overall, the Rockies belted 15 hits, a season high for Arizona opponents.
The game started on a different tone. The Rockies scored two in the second, but Arizona rallied a half-inning later.
Chris Young and Eric Byrnes hit home runs on consecutive pitches to the same area of the park. Young’s traveled 422 feet over the center field wall, Byrnes’ 419. Their efforts tied the score at 2.
After Ian Stewart’s run-scoring single in the third, the Diamondbacks’ again countered. Felipe Lopez, Augie Ojeda and Conor Jackson had hits in the two-run third, giving Arizona a 4-3 lead.
Mark Reynolds hit his fourth home run – a two-run shot – in the fifth for a 6-3 advantage, but it wasn’t enough.
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UP NEXT
Colorado (De La Rosa 0-1) at Arizona (Haren 0-3), 12:40 p.m. Wednesday. TV: FSNA. Radio: 1490 AM