The Bounce-Backs Do It Again as D-backs Win 5-4 Over Colorado

Despite being down 4-1, the Diamondbacks score four unanswered runs to win the game behind a strong pitching effort of Brandon Pfaadt

Aug 12, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) throws against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies by a score of 5-4 following yet another bounce back effort from the team when they were down by two or more runs. They used their signature brand of chaos to get it done and win their fourth game in a row.

The Diamondbacks are now 23-12 in one-run games, the best in MLB. They scored four unanswered runs after being down 4-1 to earn their 67th win of the year and go up 14 games over .500. It was their 13th comeback win since July 1st, the most in MLB.

Brandon Pfaadt had a mixed game tonight. He gave up a lot of loud contact and four runs. On the flip side, Pfaadt tied his career-high in strikeouts with 11 across seven innings. The last time he had 11 was back on April 28th against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle.

Pfaadt missed a lot of bats, inducing 19 whiffs including his sweeper which garnered eight whiffs. However, when he failed to miss the bat, he gave up a lot of loud contact. 11 balls were hit harder than 93 MPH.

Speaking of hard contact, he gave up six hits with exit velocities at or over 93.7 MPH. That includes Brendan Rogers' deep home run in the 6th inning. Pfaadt struggled to put away Jake Cave and Elias Diaz, the Rockies' No.7 and 8 hitter. Cave went 3-3 against him with a single, double, and triple. Diaz went 2-3 with two RBI singles.

He left a lot of pitches in the middle of the zone, something Brandon Pfaadt spoke about, "We are still using that aggressive mentality and I think we did that almost to a fault and we gave up a few runs doing that but the offense has been great, they bailed me out."

In total, Pfaadt pitched seven innings and gave up eight hits, four runs, a homer, and struck out 11. His ERA rose to 3.98.

Meanwhile, the offense cobbled together runs in three innings despite hitting the ball hard, producing 16 hit balls over 93 MPH. However,

There are concerns about Ketel Marte who had to leave the game after the first inning due to a re-aggravation of his left ankle contusion. Kevin Newman replaced him and once again was a hero on offense and defense. He went 2-3 with two singles, a stolen base, and scored the go-ahead run.

Per Manager Torey Lovullo, Marte will undergo an MRI tomorrow to check on the status of his injured left ankle.

They got their first run in the second inning after Josh Bell doubled and Jake McCarthy doubled behind him to drive him in. That put the D-backs up 1-0.

The D-backs offense fell flat until the 6th inning after going down 4-1. However, Kevin Newman, the star of the game, singled with one out. After Joc Pederson flew out, Josh Bell doubled once again to drive in Newman to cut the score to 4-2.

McCarthy followed that up with a single to drive in Bell and make the score 4-3. Following that, McCarthy stole second base, but was stranded along with Adrian Del Castillo who walked.

Then, in the 7th inning, the Diamondbacks' signature brand of chaos happened on the basepaths. With two outs, Corbin Carroll singled. Newman singled behind him for his second hit. With runners on the corners and two outs, Rockies pitcher Tyler Kinley uncorked a wild pitch right when Newman was stealing.

Carroll scored easily and Newman never stopped running. He got to third base easily to set up a go-ahead run opportunity for Joc Pederson. A couple of pitches later, Kinley threw another wild pitch and Newman scored the 5th run to put Arizona up 5-4. That score would stand.

Lovullo spoke on Newman and his day, "He had a terrific day. He didn't start the game but you talk about adaptability and readiness, he made the most of his opportunity today. A couple clean base hits and then an unbelievable baserunning read at third base on a ball that didn't get too far away."

Pfaadt also spoke on Newman, "We can rely on Kevin [Newman] to come in and do his job. That's what he's done all year. We're grateful for him every time he does it. He's able to come up big for us later in the games."

The base-running by the D-backs won the game today as Lovullo said "We work really hard on our base-running here. We base run every day at second base and we talk about being ready and as prepared as possible for anything that could happen."

The bullpen pitched two strong innings out of the bullpen behind Ryan Thompson and Justin Martinez. Thompson induced two ground outs and an easy pop-fly in the 8th inning.

Martinez came in the game in the 9th inning to get the save and gave up a leadoff single. However, Jake Cave would line drive a pitch straight to Newman who caught it and threw to first base to get the double play. Elias Diaz would ground out to end the game and get Martinez his third save of the season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are back in action tomorrow night at 6:40 PM against the Colorado Rockies. Eduardo Rodriguez makes his Chase Field debut against left-handed starter Austin Gomber.