The Rockies wasted an 11-run output and a gem by reliever-turned-starter Matt Belisle on Wednesday afternoon
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The Colorado Rockies scored 12 runs Tuesday night in a convincing showcase of their powerful hitting lineup. Less than a day later it was the Arizona Diamondbacks powering past the Rockies in a marathon 10-Inning finale to the 3-game series.
Kelly Johnson led off the 10th with a solo home run off Franklin Morales to give the Diamondbacks their first lead since Colorado took over in the bottom of the 3rd. Morales battled to keep it a one-run game going into the bottom of the extra inning. Seth Smith, Dexter Fowler & Todd Helton all made good contact in the bottom of the final frame, but Smith & Fowler couldn’t get line-drives to drop and Helton couldn’t beat pitcher Juan Gutierrez to the base on an infield drive to 1st.
The Diamondbacks won the first game in this series 5-3, a contest in which the Rockies squandered plenty of offensive opportunities. The series balancing on today’s afternoon slugfest, Arizona opened up with a 6-run salvo in the 1st Inning to chase troubled Colorado starter Greg Smith. The Rockies responded with 1 run in the 2nd, 6 in the 3rd, and 4 in the 4th before the offense dried up.
Colorado is amongst the worst in the league at producing runs in the second half of games. Read more about the Rockies’ feast-or-famine offense.
The 11-6 lead would not hold.
Matt Belisle pitched three great innings while the Rockies pulled ahead, but gave up 3 scores in the 5th as the short-reliever tired. Arizona drove in 2 in the 8th to tie the game at 11 apiece, giving Johnson his chance to hit a misplaced 2-2 fastball over the Coors Field fence.
The Rockies will now take their 11-11 record on the road for a California road swing through San Francisco, San Diego & Los Angeles.
