A double, a triple, three RBIs and two runs gave Trevor Story and the Colorado Rockies all they needed to push past the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night in Phoenix. The Rockies, who won the game 5-2, have now taken another road series in Arizona, after stealing two of three from the Dbacks to open the season at the start of April.
Story was the star, doubling in the third inning and driving in the Rockies' first run, and then tripling in the ninth to break a 2-2 tie and give the Rockies a three-run lead heading into the last half frame of the game. Chris Rusin started for the Rockies and worked well for five innings, but earned a no-decision. The Rockies' pen, aside from a two-run home run allowed in the sixth, was nails, with good work in the time game coming from Gonzalez Germen and Chad Qualls.
The Rockies got their first two runs in the top of the third inning, first thanks to that RBI double off the bat of Story that was quickly followed up by a two out bloop single from Gerardo Parra that scored the shortstop form second base. That gave the Rockies an early 2-0 lead, and starter Chris Rusin cruised for quite a while with the lead, outdueling Zack Greinke through the fifth inning.
Rusin was done after five, though, allowing no runs on one hit and three walks to go along with six strikeouts. The lefty, who would end up with a no-decision, threw 76 pitches (44 strikes), and now has a season ERA of just 1.69. Nice.
Rookie flame thrower Carlos Estevez came in for Rusin to start the sixth inning, but the young reliever promptly allowed a two-run homer off the bat of Brandon Drury to get the Diamondbacks back in the game. By then, too, Greinke was cruising, and the Rockies struggled to get baserunners and failed to convert, entering the ninth inning stuck in a 2-2 tie after quick work by Germen and Qualls in the seventh and eighth.
In the top of the ninth inning, who else but Story was there to break the tie; with Charlie Blackmon and Ben Paulsen on base, the Rockies' shortstop hit a triple off Dbacks' reliever Brad Ziegler, breaking the tie and giving the Rockies a clutch two-run lead. After Carlos Gonzalez reached base, a Nolan Arenado single scored Story and gave the Rox a 5-2 cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth inning for closer Jake McGee.
McGee allowed a long two-out double to Wellington Castillo in the ninth inning, but otherwise was efficient in his inning of work, and earned the save. The Rockies and Diamondbacks finish their series on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.