Well before Arizona’s 5-3 win over Colorado was halfway in the books Wednesday night, the Diamondbacks knew Thursday afternoon’s series finale in Denver would hold meaning.
With Philadelphia losing to Milwaukee earlier in the evening, Arizona (84-74) was guaranteed at least one more day of relevance in the National League wild-card race. The Diamondbacks trail the Chicago Cubs (87-71) and Phillies (87-71) by three games with four remaining, so Thursday is a must-win contest for Arizona.
The Diamondbacks will send left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (15-7, 2.89 ERA) to the mound against Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon (1-5, 6.01) in the last home game of the season for Colorado (57-101).
The Rockies have struggled down the stretch, losing 14 of 16 games to reach 100 losses for the fourth consecutive season.
For Arizona, which has won four straight games, Rodriguez is 3-1 with a 4.21 ERA in eight career starts against Colorado, with all of the decisions coming in Denver, including one this season.
He pitched into the sixth inning and took the loss on May 16 and needs to be sharp Thursday to keep the D-backs’ season afloat. Arizona knows it needs help to reach the playoffs for the first time since advancing to the World Series in 2023, but it isn’t discouraging for the team.
“All we can take care of is our business here in Colorado,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We just have to take care of our business today. That’s all we can do. Unfortunately, things are out of our hands, but we’ve got life. We’ve got a heartbeat. We don’t have an ‘E’ next to our name, and I just tell these guys to go out and play focused baseball and see where it takes us.”
Gordon hasn’t had much success against Arizona, compiling a 1-2 record and a 13.94 ERA in three career outings. He faced the D-backs in consecutive starts last season, getting roughed up in Arizona for 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings on Aug. 10, but he bounced back five days later and got the victory after allowing three runs in five frames.
He’ll follow a solid start from rookie Mason Adams, who retired 13 in a row at one point Wednesday night and didn’t allow an earned run in six innings. The Diamondbacks scored four times on him in the first inning, but those runs came after an error in left field by Zac Veen.
Despite that miscue, Veen has been solid defensively since he was called up on Aug. 11. He struggled in that aspect in the minors, but Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer, who was his skipper in the Arizona Fall League in 2022, has seen major improvement.
“I’ve seen a huge development in Veener this year — enormous on the mental side of the game, the way he prepares,” Schaeffer said. “He went from not being a very good preparer to ‘Pilly’ [hitting coach Brett Pill] giving him unbelievable marks. Credit to him for how he looks at the game, how engaged he is in the game, and the preparation before the game.”
–Field Level Media
