PHOENIX — Hitters who tumble to the ninth round of baseball’s amateur draft tend to exhibit a high degree of patience. Jordan Pacheco, the Rockies’ ninth-round pick out of the University of New Mexico in 2007, held his breath until the second day of the draft before his name was called.
Then Pacheco waited four years to get a taste of the major leagues. The catcher debuted with the Rockies in 2011.
His game-busting home run Wednesday at Chase Field also took some waiting. And it was worth it. After the Rockies cut Pacheco last season, he caught on with the Diamondbacks, who were in need of a backup catcher.
On an 0-1 count in the fifth inning against Rockies starter Jordan Lyles, Pacheco looped a three-run homer to left field that broke open the game and led Arizona (10-11) to a 9-1 victory over Colorado (11-10).
It was Pacheco’s first home run with the Diamondbacks. His last homer, 336 at-bats ago, was with the Rockies, on May 17, 2013. That’s 712 days between homers.
“I know Lyles real well,” Pacheco said. “I was lucky I got one, and I just got it up in the air.”
The fifth inning set up perfectly for Pacheco and grievously for the Rockies. Lyles pitched messy from the start. In the fifth, he walked the bases loaded. He allowed a two-run single to Yasmany Tomas. Then, in the next at-bat, his fastball to Pacheco went about 390 feet and just over the head of Corey Dickerson into the stands.
It was the first home run allowed by Lyles in 43 innings, dating to Sept. 14. But it isn’t home runs hurting the Rockies’ pitching rotation. It’s the walks.
The Rockies entered Wednesday tied for the most walks in baseball, at 53, with the Toronto Blue Jays. Colorado’s five-some is now No. 1 with a bullet. Lyles allowed five walks and struck out just one in five innings. He allowed eight hits and seven runs (six earned).
“Those came back to haunt me,” Lyles said. “It’s just uncalled for. They’re unnecessary walks. You can’t live like that as a pitcher.”
Paul Goldschmidt jumped on Lyles early. His line-drive single to left field in the first scored Ender Inciarte, who had moved to third on a Daniel Descalso throwing error. And Mark Trumbo’s single to center scored Goldschmidt. Arizona quickly erased the Rockies’ 1-0 lead forged when Troy Tulowitzki doubled and scored on Nolan Arenado’s bloop single to center.
Arizona’s Josh Collmenter, though, settled himself and steamed over the Rockies. After Arenado’s hit, Collmenter retired the next 11 in a row.
The Rockies finally got consecutive hits in the sixth, after Dickerson doubled to right and Tulowitzki singled to left.
But with the Rockies trailing 7-1, Dickerson gambled with a sprint to home. He was thrown out by David Peralta.
“We have to play the game right,” manager Walt Weiss said of Dickerson running through a stop sign from third-base coach Stu Cole. “He always plays the game hard, but the kid made a nice throw in the outfield.”
Collmenter — who was picked by Arizona six rounds after Pacheco in that 2007 draft — was everything the Rockies wish they had in a pitcher right now. He threw eight strong innings. He walked none and struck out six. He allowed just five hits and one unearned run.
The Rockies, though, went to their bullpen early again, calling in Scott Oberg, who struck out the side in the sixth. Colorado relievers have pitched the fifth-most innings in baseball this season and the most in the NL.
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
