Eduardo Rodriguez Delivers Best Outing as a D-back vs Rockies

Arizona's offense regained its spark as Eduardo Rodriguez delivered his best start with the Diamondbacks.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (57) throws to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Many wondered if Eduardo Rodriguez would be able to come into his own after joining the Diamondbacks midway through the 2024 season. On Wednesday, in the most hitter-friendly environment in baseball, it looks like he finally found it, as the D-backs beat the Rockies 9-4.

After Arizona lost the first two games, Rodriguez helped the team salvage the series by delivering a season-high in innings pitched (6.1) and strikeouts (11), while holding Colorado to just two runs on five hits and a walk.

Rodriguez set the tone early on, retiring his first six consecutive batters for a spotless first and second inning. The Rockies collected four singles in the third for their only two runs off the left-hander.

Rodriguez's two fastballs worked well in tandem for him today. His four-seamer proved to a be an effective bat-misser. Rockies batters swung at 23 of them, and they whiffed or fouled 18 of them. The cutter generated weak contact, as opponents batted to a 73.5 average exit velocity off the pitch.

Rodriguez's teammates took notice of his resounding performance, especially utilizing his fastball-first arsenal. Speaking to Jody Jackson after the game, Corbin Carroll said, "that cutter was really good today. He used all of his pitches, keep [hitters] off balance. That's the best I've seen him throw - he looked great today."

Arizona looked bound for the playoffs not long ago. Entering this month, the team's 76-60 record gave them a 90% chance of making the playoffs per Fangraphs. Since then, the team's playoff picture has dimmed slightly. Even including Wednesday's win, Arizona has lost 11 of their last 19, and their starting pitcher has played a role in the team's downturn.

This month, the rotation's 5.23 ERA (4.21 FIP) ranks sixth-worst in the league. As most of the rotation has struggled to support the team's late-season playoff drive, Ryne Nelson stepped up to lead the rotation. A week ago, Nelson was placed on the 15-day IL with right-shoulder inflammation. Since then, the team has been looking for a new leader, and they have may got one in Rodriguez.

How one of the best offenses in baseball scored a meager four runs across two games in the most hitter-friendly environment in MLB didn't add up. Arizona compensated for its low-scoring defeats by tallying runs early on versus Austin Gomber.

Arizona's hitters came with a plan, and it paid off. The team made strong decisions against Gomber early on, scoring three runs and nearly batting around in the first inning. Of the eight Arizona batters to bat in the first, none of them swung at the first pitch, four of which were called strikes. Gomber fell behind in counts and tried to retaliate with non-competitive strikes that the D-backs took advantage of with a string of base-hits and long at-bats.

Corbin Carroll initiated the offense with a solo home run as the second batter of the game and reached a rare milestone by doing so. Base hits by Randal Grichuk, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno followed, along with a walk by Pavin Smith, netting Arizona two more runs in the first inning.

Gomber lasted only one more inning, allowing a pair of home runs - one to Carroll for his second of the game, as well as one to Grichuk the following at-bat. Jeff Criswell relieved Gomber and kept the game within reach for the Rockies, delivering three efficient innings. Arizona almost widened the deficit on a line-drive single by Jake McCarthy, but a pinpoint throw by left fielder Sam Hilliard hosed down Pavin Smith at the plate.

After 5 innings of goose eggs on the scoreboard, both team's bats came alive in the ninth. RBI base hits by Pavin Smith and Eugenio Suarez cushioned their lead. The Rockies answered back with two runs in the ninth off left-hander Joe Mantiply.

The Diamondbacks now head to Milwaukee for a four-game series versus the Brewers for their final road series of the 2024 regular season. The team is tied with the Atlanta Braves for the second NL Wild Card spot with 10 games left in the regular season.