PHOENIX (AP) Pinch-hitter Jake Lamb had a tiebreaking two-run single in the sixth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-7 Tuesday night.
The Diamondbacks scored five runs in the sixth off Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (3-11) and reliever Bryan Shaw. Three batters after Lamb’s hit, Eduardo Escobar had a two-run triple off Shaw.
Escobar became the third player in Diamondbacks history with 20-plus doubles, 20 or more home runs and at least 10 triples in a season, joining Steve Finley (1999 and 2003) and Stephen Drew (2008). He also became the first National League switch-hitter with 100 RBIs since Chase Headley accomplished the feat with the San Diego Padres in 2012.
Nick Ahmed homered and drove in two runs. He set a career high for home runs with his 17th and matched his career-best RBI total with 70. Ahmed has six home runs in his last 10 games.
Arizona’s 34 home runs against the Rockies is a franchise record against an opposing team in a season.
Lamb, batting for starting pitcher Alex Young (5-3) with one out and the bases loaded, bounced a hit through the middle to drive in two runs, and Ketel Marte followed with an RBI on a fielder’s choice ahead of Escobar’s triple.
David Peralta had three hits, Young lasted six innings with three runs allowed and Archie Bradley got his sixth save.
Bradley gave up a run in the ninth inning after Charlie Blackmon led off with a double.
The Diamondbacks stayed within striking distance for a NL wild card, four games behind the Chicago Cubs.
Nolan Arenado homered in his 1,000th career game for the Rockies, and Trevor Story had four hits and two RBIs
The Rockies led 2-1 in the top of the fourth after Arenado’s 31st home run of the season, a two-run shot. Down 8-3, Colorado rallied with three runs in the seventh, but couldn’t catch up.
Freeland left the game with one out in the bottom of the sixth with what appeared to be a leg injury. He allowed three earned runs on five hits.
STRANGE THINGS
Peralta stumbled in left field and fell as he set up to throw the ball to the infield on Tapia’s fifth-inning single.
It didn’t cost the Diamondbacks for the moment, and Peralta smiled as he got to his feet and waved to the cheering crowd.
The Rockies’ Daniel Murphy hit a ground rule double in the sixth because the ball got stuck under the padding of the right field foul pole.
And for good measure, a Wilmer Flores foul ball knocked over a phone in the press box.
ROSTER MOVE
The Diamondbacks called up infielder Ildemaro Vargas from Triple-A Reno before Tuesday’s game after they optioned pitcher Bo Takahashi to Double-A Jackson following Monday’s game.
Vargas has split time between Arizona and Reno this season. Takahashi, 22, was brought up for his first Major League stint on Sunday, but did not make an appearance in the brief time he was with the Diamondbacks.
UP NEXT
Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (11-8, 3.84 earned run average) is scheduled to start the series finale against Arizona, and is coming off eight scoreless innings of five-hit ball in his last start, Aug. 16 against Miami.
Diamondbacks: RHP Mike Leake (0-1, 7,71 ERA with Diamondbacks; 9-9, 4.64 overall) is set for his seventh career start against the Rockies. He’s 2-2 in his career against Colorado.
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