This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Jake McCarthy and the Arizona Diamondbacks will attempt to parlay a pair of comeback wins into a series sweep on Wednesday when they conclude a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies in Phoenix.
After Arizona scored two runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 5-4 victory in the opener on Monday, McCarthy delivered one of the Diamondbacks’ most dramatic wins of the season on Tuesday.
Arizona entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 3-2 before loading the bases with two outs against hard-throwing Colorado right-hander Victor Vodnik. The left-handed-hitting McCarthy fell behind 1-2 before slapping a 100 mph fastball past third base to score the tying and winning runs.
“(That was) a really good matchup of two young players,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “McCarthy has sort of settled into a guy the Diamondbacks are counting on.”
McCarthy capped a three-hit night with his first career walk-off hit and continued his sizzling stretch at the plate. The fourth-year veteran is batting .460 (29-for-63) since July 27. His season average is up to .311, nearly 30 points better than his previous career high.
“It just comes down to getting the right pitch,” McCarthy said Tuesday night on the Diamondbacks’ postgame show after the team’s fifth consecutive win. “When I do and I put a good swing on it, good things happen.”
McCarthy’s blistering bat has keyed Arizona’s surge from a middling squad to a legitimate postseason contender. The Diamondbacks are 29-10 since June 29 and have soared into a tie with the San Diego Padres for the National League’s top wild-card spot.
“I feel like we trust each other — that’s the main thing we have here,” Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez said. “That’s great to have as a team, as an organization. … That’s a winning team right there.”
The Rockies will aim to salvage the series finale behind rookie right-hander Tanner Gordon (0-3, 6.15 ERA) in his first start against Arizona.
The 26-year-old has settled down since allowing 15 runs in 15 1/3 frames over his first three big-league starts. He has surrendered three runs across 11 innings in his latest two outings.
Gordon tallied a career-high seven strikeouts in his most recent start, against the Braves on Friday. He limited Atlanta to two runs on six hits and no walks over five innings in Colorado’s 6-5 home win.
The Diamondbacks will deploy veteran left-hander Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 6.37 ERA). He has posted a 6.11 ERA in four starts since returning on July 23 from an injured-list stint caused by right knee inflammation.
Montgomery last pitched on Thursday, when he kept the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless over five innings before allowing four runs in the sixth. He was pulled after 5 2/3 frames, having yielded eight hits with three walks and four strikeouts in Arizona’s 6-4 home loss.
The eighth-year pro won his lone career start against the Rockies, which came with the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 17, 2022. He allowed one run on six hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight and walking none.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced after the Tuesday game that All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte is day-to-day with a sprained left ankle. Marte, who is batting .298 with 30 home runs, left each of his past two games early, then didn’t play on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
