Diamondbacks, trying to catch up in NL West, visit Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped the first two contests of their current nine-game road trip but have bounced back to win two in a row.

They will try to make it three straight wins in the middle game of a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night in Denver.

The Diamondbacks will send right-hander Merrill Kelly (6-3, 3.41 ERA) to the mound against Colorado left-hander Carson Palmquist (0-4, 7.76).

Arizona, behind two home runs by Eugenio Suarez that gave him 300 for his career, routed the Rockies 14-8 on Friday night. The Diamondbacks slugged four home runs and had a season-high 21 hits in the victory.

Arizona has won three of the first four games in the 13-game series season with its National League West rival.

The Diamondbacks are trying to stay within reach in the juggernaut division but are struggling to keep players healthy. They enter the game Saturday eight games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Friday that catcher Gabriel Moreno, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, retroactive to Monday, suffered a hairline fracture of his right hand and could be out until after the All-Star break.

Corbin Carroll didn’t start for the second straight game due to a left-hand contusion but might be in the starting lineup on Saturday night.

“Corb is much better, trending in a very positive direction. And just want to give him a work day, just try and get out, see how he feels,” Lovullo said. “The last thing you want to do is put a bat in your hand and have something sting. So he’s going to do all that he can.”

The news wasn’t so bright for pitchers A.J. Puk, Christian Montes De Oca and Justin Martinez, who likely are out for the season.

Kelly is healthy and pitching well for Lovullo despite his last outing. In his first two starts of June he didn’t allow a run over 13 innings and is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in the month over three starts.

He will face the Rockies for the 17th time in his career and is 8-3 with a 3.26 ERA in his previous 16 games — all starts.

Palmquist will try to win his first major league game more than a month after he debuted at Arizona. He took the loss on May 16 after allowing five runs on six hits over four innings against the Diamondbacks, who won 8-0.

Palmquist has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his six starts, including four at Washington on Monday. Colorado went on to win that game 6-4 during its season-high four-game winning streak but now has dropped two straight.

Even with the current skid, interim manager Warren Schaeffer said he is pleased with how the Rockies have played over the past three weeks after starting the year 9-50. They are 8-9 since.

“It’s good to win some games,” he said. “It’s good to see the small things paying off and getting some wins from them. We have to be focused on the process, and I feel that’s something the guys have done really well.”

–Field Level Media