Eugenio Suárez's Milestone Blasts Power D-backs Over Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks outslugged the Colorado Rockies 14-8 at Coors Field. Eugenio Suárez clubbed a pair of home runs, including his 300th career blast in the sixth inning. He achieved that special milestone with his family in attendance.

"I feel so proud of myself, I've been working so hard all my career," Suárez told Todd Walsh of DbacksTV. "To see that, put everything on the field, trying to help my team win games. Coming in here and doing it in front of my wife and my daughter, they can watch me, it's even more special."

Arizona Diamondbacks Tie A Coors Field Record

All nine of the Diamondbacks' starters recorded a hit, with the team pounding out 21 hits, tying the franchise record for most hits in Coors Field. They previously recorded 21 hits on June 4, 2014. They made the most of their opportunities, scoring in seven different innings.

The offensive burst rescued Zac Gallen, who fell victim to the big inning in the bottom of the fourth.
Gallen had retired nine of the first 12 Rockies, his lone blemish being a Tyler Freeman RBI single in the third.

Leading 6-1 entering the frame, Gallen surrendered six runs on seven hits. The Rockies forced him into the zone, and he got hit hard as a result. On the seven hits he allowed in the third, three came on the four-seamer, two on the knucklecurve, and one each on the slider and changeup. All of them were middle-of-the-plate mistakes.

"Zac was out there throwing the ball really well, and you've got to give credit to the Rockies," said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. "They went out and put out six runs on a really good pitcher."

It didn't take long for the Diamondbacks to answer. Suárez, the very first hitter of the fifth, clubbed his first home run of the night to tie the game.

A two-out single by Tim Tawa presented an opportunity for Ildemaro Vargas, who hadn't batted in nearly two weeks. Vargas destroyed a 1-2 slider that split the middle of the plate, which not only got the lead right back but also ended Austin Gomber's night. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.

"Being a backup player is probably one of the hardest things to do in baseball," said Lovullo. "You don't have consistent playing time, you don't know when that day is going to come. When the bell rings, it's like an instant fist-fight. You got to get in the fight and do it quickly. He went out there and got three hits, and that's hard to do after not playing for nine days. But that speaks about preparation, and he's got the right mindset, and I'm really proud what his day turned out to be."

Gallen recovered with a scoreless fifth, putting himself in position for the win. It marked the second time all season Arizona won a game in which he didn't record a quality start. They've won his last two starts after starting 0-9 in such games.

Even with the lead, the offense continued to pour it on. Suárez got a chance to reach the 300 home run milestone in the sixth and didn't miss. He became the third Diamondback to hit his 300th career home run with the club, joining Matt Williams (1999) and Luis Gonzalez (2005).

"300 home runs is unbelievable," said Lovullo. "He kind of said he never dreamed it would ever happen, but he's glad that he did, and he basically never takes it for granted. Every day is a special day for him."

The Diamondbacks' bullpen did a solid job of closing it out, allowing just one run over the final four innings. The only run came as a result of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. losing a line drive in the lights in the eighth. Juan Morillo, Jalen Beeks, and Kevin Ginkel all had clean innings.

The Diamondbacks will go for the series win against the Rockies. Merrill Kelly (6-3, 3.41 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona while rookie left-hander Carson Palmquist (0-4, 7.76 ERA) goes for Colorado. First pitch at Coors Field is set for 6:10 p.m. MST.

Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News