PHOENIX -- It’s been a while since the Diamondbacks had one of these games: A blowout where they could relax and exhale.
And never before have they had an inning like the fifth inning of their 13-6 win over the Rockies on Sunday afternoon.
“The offense came out to play today and picked us up in a big way,” said starter Brandon Pfaadt, who had to work hard to get through five innings.
The impetus for the eight-run bottom of the fifth may have started in the top half of the frame when left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. threw out Warming Bernabel at the plate for Pfaadt’s final recorded out.
“It was one of those momentum shifts and we capitalized,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.
The historic inning started innocently enough against Colorado starter Tanner Gordon as both Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo were retired easily.
That would be the last out that Gordon would get -- and it would be the last one the Rockies' staff would get for a while. Arizona set a club record with nine consecutive hits as part of an eight-run rally that put the game -- and the series sweep -- on ice.
It was the most consecutive two-out hits by any Diamondbacks team in franchise history, and the most in MLB since the Blue Jays had nine straight against the Rays on May 23, 2023.
The Rockies had a chance to end the inning before any runs scored when Bernabel made a nice stop on Alek Thomas’ grounder, but he threw wide of first. Even though it was a miscue, it was ruled a hit and the inning unraveled for the Rockies after that.
“The guys went out there and had a really good, elite offensive approach,” Lovullo said. “They showed a little bit of vulnerability there. They didn't make a play to close out the inning at first base, and then we took advantage of that. And I think that's what good teams are able to do -- they capitalize on some of the opponents' mistakes. When you put up eight runs, you know you're doing a lot right.”
The eight-run inning also allowed the Diamondbacks to exhale and for Lovullo to sub out both Marte and Corbin Carroll to give them a little rest.
“It was nice after that fifth inning,” Lovullo said. “I could feel the dugout, the vibe changed a little bit.”
The win gave the Diamondbacks a sweep of the three-game set, and while most of the next six weeks will be spent getting a look at their younger players for next year, the squad still wants to win as many games as possible.
“I think those three games, it's the kind of baseball we've been looking for,” Pfaadt said. “And hopefully we keep that rolling on the road trip.”
The Diamondbacks (57-61) head to Texas to take on the Rangers for three before facing the Rockies in a four-game series at Coors Field. They’re hoping to capitalize on the momentum of the past three days to get on a prolonged run of winning, something that has eluded them in 2025.
“We haven't played consistent baseball all year long,” Lovullo said. “Whatever the reason is, we win three in a row, we lose two in a row. We gotta string together a really nice streak of games where we play like we did this weekend. It's too early to say we're climbing and we're changing gears.
“August is ‘Moving Month.’ You're going to see some teams reverse course and some teams go north. So we want to keep going north, play good baseball, and we'll see what happens. But the vibe is very good in there.”