PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks demonstrated their dominance in an 8-0 rout of the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, powered by an impressive 10-strikeout performance from pitcher Corbin Burnes. This outing marked Burnes’ season high, as he expertly navigated six shutout innings. Both Eugenio Suárez and Geraldo Perdomo emerged as offensive standouts, each driving in three runs to solidify the team’s commanding win.
In stark contrast, the Rockies are enduring a dismal start to the season; their record now sits at an astonishingly poor 7-37. This marks the worst performance by any team through their first 44 games since the inception of Major League Baseball in 1901. With four losses in a row and only one win in their last 13 outings, the team is facing severe adversity.
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Warren Schaeffer, who recently took the reins as interim manager after the firing of Bud Black, has yet to experience a victory in his new role, with the team losing each of the four games under his leadership. Black was dismissed from his position on Sunday after a string of disappointing results, which put immense pressure on Schaeffer.
Burnes (3-1) delivered a remarkably efficient performance, yielding only two hits while walking three batters. This impressive outing follows another scoreless game, as he recovered from a recent bout of shoulder inflammation that sidelined him temporarily.
Rockies pitcher Carson Palmquist, making his major league debut, faced significant challenges on the mound. The 24-year-old, ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Rockies organization by MLB.com, allowed five runs on six hits and one walk over four innings, suffering the loss.
The Diamondbacks’ offensive onslaught began early, with two runs in the second inning, followed by another in the third, and two more in the fourth to build a substantial 5-0 lead. Suárez added to the damage in the seventh inning, delivering a two-run single to push the lead to 7-0.
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A notable performance came from Gabriel Moreno, who reached base four times, highlighted by two doubles, a single, and a walk. Other contributors included Josh Naylor, Randal Grichuk, and Corbin Carroll, each of whom recorded two hits.
This win marks a significant moment for the Diamondbacks, as it represents their first back-to-back victories since late April.
Key moment
A turning point in the game occurred during the fourth inning when Burnes struck out Mickey Moniak with the bases loaded, effectively extinguishing the Rockies’ most significant scoring chance of the night.
Key stat
The Rockies’ away game struggles continue, with their record standing at 2-21, and an alarming 1-21 in nighttime contests. Leading up to this game, the Rockies were batting a mere .189 on the road and could only muster two hits throughout the night.
Up next
As the series continues, the Rockies will face RHP Germán Márquez (1-6, 8.27 ERA) on Saturday, who will go against the Diamondbacks’ RHP Zac Gallen (3-5, 4.59).
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