The Diamondbacks wasted no time putting this one away at Chase Field, rolling past the Rockies 9-0 and backing a big offensive burst with steady pitching from Michael Soroka and Zack Littell.
Arizona came out of the gate with the kind of jolt that makes a game feel over before it’s settled in. After a low-scoring series against the Dodgers, the D-backs nearly matched that entire offensive output in their first four outs. By the end of the second inning, they were up 7-0 and Colorado starter Gabriel Hughes had already been forced to throw 63 pitches.
The first inning did most of the damage, and it came in a way the Diamondbacks haven’t exactly made a habit of. Before this season, they had just five first-inning grand slams in franchise history across more than 4,400 opening frames.
Then Nolan Arenado did it twice this year. This one came after Gabriel Moreno ripped a triple into the right-field corner, then appeared to score on a wild pitch.
Colorado challenged, arguing the pitch had hit Marte, and the review confirmed it. That put Marte on first, and after Lars Nootbaar worked a walk, Arenado came to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered again, just like he did on May 18 against Robbie Ray.
Arizona kept stacking runs in the second. Ryan Waldschmidt singled, Geraldo Perdomo walked, and Corbin Carroll drove in Waldschmidt with a double for a 5-0 lead.
A wild pitch brought home another run, and Marte added one more with a single. The early cushion was more than enough for Soroka, who was making his return from the injured list.
Soroka was sharp through the first two innings, allowing no hits and one walk, but the Diamondbacks were careful with him after a long layoff. He hadn’t pitched in the majors since June 19 and had only one rehab start, a 57-pitch outing for the Reno Aces.
A 22-pitch fourth inning pushed him up to 77 pitches, and after he got the first out of the fifth, Torey Lovullo went to the bullpen following an eight-pitch walk. Soroka’s final line: 4.1 shutout innings, three hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
That handed the ball to Littell, who made his D-backs debut in the kind of role he was brought in to handle. He didn’t start smoothly, walking the first batter he faced on four pitches, but he erased the damage immediately with a double play. Arizona turned four double plays in all, including an unassisted one from Tim Tawa in the third and another aided by Waldschmidt in the sixth after a Colorado appeal.
Littell kept rolling from there and finished the game, saving the rest of the bullpen. He earned the win with 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out two.
In the process, he became the 11th D-back to earn a relief win that required 14 outs at any point in his Arizona tenure. The last pitcher to do it before him was Ryne Nelson in 2024, who also did it in 2023.
The Diamondbacks added more in the eighth, with Jorge Barrosa driving in a run on a single and Moreno following with an RBI double. Moreno, Marte, Arenado and Waldschmidt each finished with two hits, and Waldschmidt also drew a walk. Max Kepler had a rough night, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, and he’s now 1-for-22 with eight strikeouts over his last seven games.
There was also a little late concern around Perdomo, who exited before the fifth inning with left knee soreness. Lovullo later said he was not overly worried about it, noting that if the game had been close he might have stayed in. Perdomo could still get a day off in the coming days.
The win moved Arizona to a season-high eight games above .500 at 64-56, their best mark since the end of the 2024 season. It also kept them tied with the Phillies for the second wild-card spot, though Philadelphia also won in St.
Louis. The Padres won as well, and the Dodgers were leading 6-5 going into the ninth, so the standings didn’t shift much.
Still, the Diamondbacks did what they needed to do: win, stay in the race, and keep the momentum going. Mitch Bratt gets the ball next as Arizona and Colorado meet again Friday at 6:40 pm.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks May Have A Late Pitching Answer They Desperately Need
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Santanas path back to the majors is still a little murky, though, because Arizona has other pitchers in the mix and little reason to rush a decision. If he keeps sharpening his game, if his opt-out date comes into play, or if injuries create a pressing need, he could force the issue. For now, the Diamondbacks are treating him as a possible answer rather than a guaranteed one, which makes the next stretch of his stint in the system worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Are Close To A Bullpen Boost They Desperately Need
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For a bullpen that has needed help, Martinezs return could arrive at just the right time for the final stretch of the season. Arizona has been leaning on its relief group for months, and adding a power arm back into the picture gives the club a chance to reshape late-game innings as the schedule tightens up. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Need More Than One Thing To Go Right Tonight
Arizona is trying to piece together a night that does not simply hinge on one arm or one hot stretch at the plate, and the backdrop makes that feel especially important. The lineup card is out, the Rockies and Diamondbacks are set, and the recent run of pitching has offered a little bit of everything, from efficient relief work to a previous start that gave the club a real jolt.
Lars Nootbaars spot in the order and his current production are part of the conversation, but so is the familiar question around Lourdes Gurriel Jr., whose performance and contract situation continue to sit under a microscope. With the Diamondbacks needing more than one thing to break their way, the margin for a clean night feels thin, and the details around the mound and the bats may end up mattering just as much as the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]