Rockies vs Diamondbacks Recap: Diamondbacks roar to ninth

You're watching the Rockies roll into Chase Field trailing in their division battle. Colorado came in at 20-34, already struggling through a rough season. Arizona was having the opposite week—they'd won two straight and sat at 28-24. The day before, the Rockies had squeaked out a 3-2 victory, stealing one game from the Diamondbacks. But this Sunday, May 24, would tell a completely different story. Ryne Nelson was taking the mound for Arizona, ready to shut down Colorado's bats. The Rockies were missing key players like Brenton Doyle in center field, sidelined by injury. Jake McCarthy suited up for Colorado, hoping to spark some runs. From the first pitch, you could feel Arizona's momentum building. This wasn't going to be close.

The bottom of the first inning changed everything. Ketel Marte stepped in and that's when Jose Quintana's day fell apart. A 79-mile-per-hour curve didn't fool Corbin Carroll—he ripped a triple down the right field line. Marte flew home. Then Geraldo Perdomo lifted a sacrifice fly, sending Carroll across the plate. Just like that, it was 0-2 Arizona. But Arizona wasn't done. The second inning got worse. Aramis Garcia singled to left, Waldschmidt scoring easily. Then Marte crushed a ground-rule double, sending two more runners home. Arizona had six runs before Colorado even got on the board. Quintana was pulled after just one-plus innings. Colorado's pitching was falling apart fast, and Arizona smelled blood in the water.

The damage was done early and Arizona kept piling on. In the third inning, Ryan Waldschmidt tripled to left, Ildemaro Vargas scoring to make it 0-7. By the sixth inning, Arizona had pushed across two more runs—Marte singled to right and Corbin Carroll tripled to center for the ninth and final run. The Diamondbacks' bats were absolutely relentless. Ryne Nelson was brilliant on the mound, throwing eight innings and allowing just one run. Colorado finally got on the board in the eighth when Chad Stevens hit a sacrifice fly, sending Jake McCarthy home. But 1-9 told the whole story. Arizona improved to 28-24 while Colorado fell further, now 20-35. The Rockies' road trip had started with a loss that showed just how far they still had to go.