D-backs Pitching Staff Spoils Offensive Breakout vs Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell to the Rockies high-scoring 14-12 affair in the desert. For the first time in franchise history, the D-backs lost while scoring 12 or more runs, and did so in only Colorado's third road victory of the season.

Zac Gallen's struggles with consistency continued on Saturday against the Rockies, as a weak Colorado offense ambushed him with a homer on the very first pitch of the game.

Still, in what was a far cry from his prettiest outing in a Diamondbacks uniform, he set team history, joining some of the most elite arms to dawn the club colors. With five strikeouts on the day he surpassed 900, now ranking fourth in franchise history in strikeouts.

While early struggles are nothing new for Gallen, coming into the outing with an ERA over 6 in the first innings and over 10 in the second, things only seemed to escalate. Three straight hits, including two home runs, saw the 29-year-old former All-Star staring down a 3-0 deficit before even recording an out.

German Marquez of the Rockies fell under the same spell, with the Arizona offense responding immediately. Two straight RBI knocks, followed by an error by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, tied things momentarily.

Offense was certainly the story of the ballgame, as the Diamondbacks continued to add on. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who remains hot in the month of May, drove in a pair of runs on a two run triple, his first of the season. Pavin Smith cleaned things up with an RBI single, to give the D-backs a 6-3 lead.

While Arizona displayed its greatest strength in momentum-fueled offense, Gallen continued to look very mortal on the mound. The Rockies, among the worst teams in MLB history to begin 2025, belted two more home runs against him in the third. The latter of the longballs tied the game, once again knotting the scoring at six apiece.

For a moment, things looked smooth for the D-backs. A second Colorado error allowed a seventh run to score, and an Eugenio Suarez home run added salt to the wound. Alek Thomas' first home run since July of 2024 added to a 9-6 cushion, followed by another pair of pad runs by Corbin Carroll and Suarez's third RBI of the night.

Still, pitching woes from the Diamondbacks bullpen once again reared their ugly head.

Starting Pitching Lines:

Zac gallen: 5 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 5 K

German Marquez: 3 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 1 K

Arizona's bullpen continued to flail when handed a lead. Eight runs were allowed to score by Arizona's relief core, and while Gallen teed up a loss, it was the bullpen who put the game out of reach.

Jalen Beeks, who had pitched to an excellent 2.01 ERA, was the first reliever to fall victim to the Rockies' offense. A pair of walks worked as a catalyst to a four-run outing, as the left-hander was only able to retire two of his seven batters faced.

While Kevin Ginkel escaped the frame, Ryan Thompson wasn't quite as lucky. Known for his ability to generate ground balls, the sidewinding righty allowed five hits, including a home run, to give the Rockies the lead once more.

Josh Naylor gave Arizona a shot off the bench, driving in a run in his only at-bat of the night with an RBI double. The score was close for a moment, with only a one-run deficit, but Kendall Graveman was tagged for his first run in a D-backs uniform, scoring the Rockies' 14th of the game.

An inexplicable result on a night where the Diamondbacks' offense offered 12 runs of support saw them lose for the first time in franchise history under that circumstance. They had previously been 151-0 when handed that amount of run support.