Phoenix – Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax once said, “Pitching is the art of instilling fear.”
Unfortunately for the Rockies, the only thing scary about their pitching Saturday night was the ugly statistics.
The Diamondbacks pounded out 12 runs on 11 hits in the first three innings and coasted to a 13-7 victory at Chase Field. The 13 runs tied Arizona’s season high.
Rockies right-hander Elmer Dessens, forced into starting duty because of injuries to the starting rotation, got the hook after a mere 1 1/3 innings. He gave up seven runs on six hits and walked two. In his short time on the mound, he faced 12 batters and threw 59 pitches.
Reliever Ramon Ortiz fared little better. The Diamondbacks raked him for four runs on three hits in his 1 1/3-inning stint. The first batter to greet Ortiz was Tony Clark, who launched a 413-foot, three-run homer to left field. Clark finished 2-for-5 and drove in five runs, matching his career high.
Clark wasn’t Arizona’s only offensive star. Rookie-of-the-year candidate Chris Young was 2-for-5, punching RBI doubles in the second and third innings, and Eric Byrnes got three hits and drove in three runs in the decisive first three innings.
The Rockies are hoping to get injured starter Aaron Cook back for the final month of the season, but he lasted just one inning during a rehab start for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Saturday night. Cook allowed three runs on four hits. He threw 27 pitches, 17 for strikes.
After losing 7-3 in 10 innings to the Rockies on Friday night, the Diamondbacks, losers of eight of their past 12 heading into Saturday, appeared to be heading for a free fall. But their offensive surge enabled them to remain in a tie with San Diego atop the National League West. The Padres shut out the Dodgers 7-0 on Saturday. The Rockies fell six games out of both the NL West race and the wild-card chase.
The Rockies’ chance to make the postseason fades with each loss, which is why Saturday’s loss stung so much. Arizona left-hander Dana Eveland was making his first career start for the Diamondbacks and he inspired no fear in the Rockies. They chased him off the mound with a five-run third inning, fueled by Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run double.
The Rockies scored two more in the seventh on an RBI-double by Todd Helton and a single by Garrett Atkins that scored Helton. After getting four hits Friday night, Helton went 2-for-3, boosting his average to .306.
After a mediocre 15-14 record in August, and with just 27 games remaining, the Rockies have to get hot soon or their postseason aspirations will turn into “wait until next year.”
The Rockies are 2-3 on this crucial six-game road trip. To break even, they’ll have to beat Arizona ace Brandon Webb today. All he did in the month of August was hurl three complete-game shutouts.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
