ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
IN THE WEST: The D-backs are third in the NL West, 4.0 games behind the Giants and 13.0 games behind the Dodgers.
WE ARE THE ANSWER-BACKS: The D-backs’ 30 comeback wins this season are tied for fourth most in the NL (also: Dodgers) [T-10th most in MLB], behind the Reds (37), Braves (32), Marlins (31), Giants (31) and Phillies (31).
♦ Last night’s win also marked the D-backs’ second victory on the road this season after facing a 2+-run deficit in the ninth inning (also: June 11 @ Tigers; 2-run deficit in top 9 & won 7-5)… only the Marlins and Astros have also met the same feat twice in 2023.
SEASON SERIES VS. ROCKIES: With last night’s victory, the D-backs clinched the season series vs. Rockies for the first time since 2017…over 9 matchups this season
vs. Rockies, the D-backs are 7-2…following today, the D-backs will face off with the Rockies for 3 games @ home from Sept. 4-6.
♦ Since 2022, among NL West teams at Coors Field, the D-backs rank first in stolen bases (16), runs (96) and fewest strikeouts (90).
OPPO HOMERS: The D-backs 22 opposite field home runs this season rank tied for sixth in the Majors (also: Twins), behind the Yankees (36), Braves (36), Rangers (25), Astros (24) and Brewers (24).
♦ Corbin Carroll’s 8 opposite field home runs rank tied for the most in the Majors this season (also: Chrisitan Yelich/MIL) while Christian Walker’s 7 oppo homers rank tied for third.
♦ Walker’s 4 opposite field home runs on the road rank tied for fourth in the Majors… his 2 @ Coors Field in as many days is tied for the most this season (also: J.D. Martinez).
JARVIS’ STELLAR MLB DEBUT: Bryce Jarvis became the third-youngest D-backs pitcher and sixth overall to make their MLB debut @ Coors Field…his 3.0 innings pitched tied for the most in a D-backs debut @ Coors Field (also: Matt Peacock/2021):
Player Date Age IP H R ER SO
Jeremy Beasley ..Aug. 11, 2020 24-265 0.1 2 0 0 1
Joe Paterson ……April 2, 2011 24-318 0.1 1 0 0 0
Bryce Jarvis …. Aug. 15, 2023 25-232 3.0 1 1 1 3
Zach Kroenke …..Sept. 10, 2010 26-142 1.1 6 3 3 0
Matt Peacock …..April 6, 2021 27-038 3.0 1 2 0 1
Troy Brohawn ….April 14, 2001 28-090 2.0 2 2 2 0
FIVE SPOT: Last night, the D-backs marked their fourth 5+-run inning vs. Rockies this season (also: April 28 in Top 9, April 29 in Top 2 and May 29 in Bot 2).
CHRISTIAN WAL-COORS: Last night, Christian Walker collected his 11th career home run @ Coors Field, which ranks second among active players since 2018, behind Max Muncy/LAD (13)…Walker’s 12 doubles @ Coors Field are also tied for second most (also: Cody Bellinger), behind teammate Ketel Marte (14).
♦ Since 2022, Walker is batting .368 (21-for-57) /1.218 OPS with 5 doubles, 6 home runs, 12 runs, 17 RBI and 8 walks over 14 games @ Coors Field…in the span among active players, he ranks fi rst in OPS (1.218), SLG (.772), homers (6), extra-base hits (11) and total bases (44), second in OBP (.446) and hits (21) and third in average (.368).
SEND IN SEWALD: Paul Sewald has collected 3 consecutive saves (Aug. 12-13, 15), marking the third time he has done so this season (first with D-backs)… he has converted a career-high 24 saves in 28 opportunities, which are seventh most in the Majors.
♦ Has not allowed a run in 38 of his 50 appearances…is scoreless in 14 of his 19 games vs. NL opponents.
THE DIVISION STRETCH: The D-backs’ next 5 games will be against NL West teams: Rockies (today) and Padres (Aug. 17-20) with 42 regular-season games remaining.
♦ Arizona is 21-18 vs. NL West opponents this season and 12-9 in their last 21 matchups.
♦ From today, 13 of Arizona’s final 42 regular-season games are against NL West teams.
DIAMOND DEFENDERS: The D-backs’ .991 fielding pct. is the best in the Majors, while their 40 errors are the fewest, ahead of the Cardinals (46) and Rangers (47).
♦ Arizona’s 40 errors are the fewest in franchise history through the first 120 games of a season…the previous low was 48 in 2018.
♦ The current franchise low for errors in a full season (excluding 2020) is 75 in 2013 and 2018
STARTING PITCHER – RHP SLADE CECCONI ♦ #43
AT A GLANCE: Selected by the D-backs as a Competitive Balance A selection (33rd overall) in the 2020 draft out of the University of Miami.
- Attended the University of Miami from 2019-2020.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Is making his second career start and second on the road.
- Making his third straight appearance against an NL West opponent (previous: Giants and Padres).
- Retired 5 of the 7 batters faced over 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen on Aug. 11 vs. Padres.
- Rated as the the D-backs’ No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
LAST START: Did not factor in the decision in his Major League debut on Aug. 2 @ Giants (ND; 2 ER in 4.2 IP)… both runs scored came on a Brandon Crawford RBI triple and Isan Diaz RBI single in the fifth inning.
- Retired 13 of the 18 batters he faced, including 9 straight.
VS. ROCKIES: Making his fi rst career start.
LEADOFF SUCCESS: When leading off an inning, holding batters to a .167 average (1-for-6 with 1 strikeout).
RENO RECAP: Went 4-8 with a 6.38 ERA (73 ER in 103.0 IP) and 104 strikeouts in 20 starts with the Aces.
- Ranked among Pacific Coast League leaders at the time of his promotion in innings pitched (2nd, 103.0), strikeouts (2nd, 104), games started (T-3rd, 20), WHIP (3rd, 1.38), opponent average (7th, .274) and ERA (8th, 6.38).
DEBUT DETAILS: Became the second D-backs starting pitcher to make their MLB debut @ Giants.
- Alex Young is the only other D-back pitcher to make their big league debut @ Giants on June 27, 2019.
- Became the second D-backs starter to make his debut in 2023…Brandon Pfaadt made his debut on May 3 @ Rangers.
- In 2022, Arizona had 3 starters make their MLB debuts: Tommy Henry on Aug. 3, Ryne Nelson on Sept. 5 and Drey Jameson on Sept. 15.
COLORADO ROCKIES NOTES:
HOME BASE
- The Colorado Rockies play the finale of a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks today looking for a series win … will host the White Sox for a three-game set starting on Friday.
- The Rockies just came off a 10-game road trip … took two of three in St. Louis, their first series win at Busch Stadium since 2009, before dropping two of three in Milwaukee and four-straight at Dodger Stadium.
- Colorado has gone 12-16 since the All-Star Break, winning three series, dropping five and splitting one.
- Of the Rockies 11 opponents remaining on the schedule, eight have records above .500 … the only teams at .500 or below are Arizona (60-60), Chicago-AL (48-72) and San Diego (57-63).
WEST IS BEST
- The Rockies are 2-7 against the Diamondbacks this season and 8-26 against the NL West … a .235 winning percentage against the West stands as the lowest in franchise history.
- Today, Colorado can win its first series against a NL West foe since Sept. 9-11, 2022 vs. Arizona … over that span, have lost 12 series and split two.
STEP RIGHT UP
- With LHP Justin Bruihl making his Rockies debut on Friday, the Rockies have used 32 total pitchers this season, the most in franchise history, one more than the 2019 club’s 31 hurlers … the Rockies have also tied the franchise record by using 15 different starting pitchers this season, tied with the 1993 and 2014 clubs for the most starters used in franchise history.
- The Rockies have used 53 total players, tied for the eighth-most in the Majors … the most players used for the club since setting a franchise record with 55 players in 2011.
GOLDEN
- Ryan McMahon’s 15 defensive runs saved are tied for the most among third basemen and are tied for the fourth-most in the Majors … shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s nine DRS are tied for fifth among all shortstops.
- Tovar holds a .986 fielding percentage, currently the second-best fielding percentage by a rookie shortstop in Major League history (min. 100 games) trailing Troy Tulowitzki (.987, 2007) (via. STATS
PERFORM).
- Rookie center fielder Brenton Doyle’s 10 defensive runs saved on the season are fourth-most among all center fielders while his 95.6 MPH average arm strength ranks fifth among all outfielders.
- Doyle’s active 81-game errorless streak is the second-longest by a rookie in Rockies history behind Matt Reynold’s 94 games from 2010-11 … Doyle’s streak is the third-longest errorless streak among all Major League rookies in 2023 and the third-longest active stretch among all NL position players.
- Rookie outfielder Nolan Jones has totaled four DRS in the outfield while starting 30 games in right field and 17 in left field … his average arm strength of 98.3 MPH is the best among all position players.
- Jones has eight outfield assists, tied for fourth in the NL and the most among rookies … assist last night moved him past Doyle (2023) and Cory Sullivan (2005) for the sole possession of the second-most outfield assists by a rookie in franchise history, trailing Brad Hawpe (10 in 2005) … outside of these four players, no other Rockie has recorded more than five outfield assists in their rookie season with the club.
NEW BLOOD
- Ezequiel Tovar led off Saturday night’s game with a home run on the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, joining Connor Joe (April 25, 2022 at Philadelphia), Dexter Fowler (April 8, 2009 at Arizona) and Eric Young Sr. (April 30, 1996 at Los Angeles-NL) as the only players in franchise history to hit a home run on the first pitch of the game.
- Tovar’s homered again Monday for his 13th of the season, moving him into a tie for the sixth-most by a rookie in franchise history … his 53 RBI are also tied for the eighth-most by a rookie in franchise history with Juan Uribe, one shy of tying Jordan Pacheco (54, 2012) and four from tying Matt Holliday (57, 2004) … his 108 hits are the 10th-most by a rookie immediately trailing Cory Sullivan (111 hits, 2005).
- Rookie Nolan Jones has hit 11 home runs … along with Tovar, they are the third pair of rookies in franchise history to each hit at least 10 home runs in a season, joining Luis Gonzalez/Matt Holliday (2004) and Garrett Atkins/Clint Barmes (2005).
KEEP AN EYE
- The Rockies placed five Minor League players in the recently updated MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects: SS Adael Amador (#21), OF Yanquiel Fernandez (#53), RHP Chase Dollander (#63), OF Jordan Beck (#88) and OF Zac Veen (#99).
ROCKIES STARTING PITCHER – #26 AUSTIN GOMBER LHP
GO, GO GOMBER
- Winter Garden, Fla., native is in his 10th professional season, his fifth in the Majors and his third with the Rockies.
- Acquired by Colorado, along with four other players including INF Elehuris Montero, in exchange for 3B Nolan Arenado on Feb. 1, 2021.
- Originally selected by St. Louis in the fourth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida Atlantic University.
A FEW CAREER THINGS
- Making his career-high 25th start tonight against Arizona … marks his 65th start overall as a Rockie, tying Danny Neagle for the sixth-most starts by a southpaw in franchise history.
- Picked up his ninth win of the season on Aug. 6 in St. Louis, tying his career-high set in 2021 during his inaugural Rockies season
- Tossed five innings with eight hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
- Pitched at least six innings in a career-best seven consecutive starts from June 30 to Aug. 6, going 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA (43.0 IP, 12 ER), six walks and 26 strikeouts … since June 30, his 2.63 ERA is the third-best in the National League behind Blake Snell (1.47) and Graham Ashcraft (2.17).
WALK THIS WAY
- In his outing on July 31 vs. San Diego, had his franchise-record walk-less streak snapped at 29.2 innings after walking Ha-Seong Kim with two outs in the
third inning, his first walk since June 30 vs. Detroit … has six walks over three starts since snapping the streak. - Dating back to June 14, Gomber has walked nine batters through 11 starts (64.1 IP), a 1.26 BB/9 that ranks as the fifth-lowest in the Majors across that span.
- His two walks in July were tied for the second-fewest in baseball in the month of July behind Ross Stripling’s one walk (min. five games started).
- Since May 6, his 2.04 BB/9 is the sixth-best in the National League … on the season, his 36 walks overall are tied for the 10th-lowest in the National
League with teammate Kyle Freeland (min. 120.0 IP).
HOARDER
- Was the only Rockies starting pitcher to earn a win from May 23-July 21 … his win on June 25 at Washington snapped a 30-game stretch without a starting pitcher earning a win, the longest streak in franchise history and the seventh-longest in Major League history.
DESERT HEATWAVES
- Making his 10th appearance (sixth start) against Arizona … across the 10 appearances holds a 3-0 record with a 4.59 (33.1 IP, 17 ER) … has never allowed more than four runs in any start against Arizona.
- At Coors Field against the Diamondbacks, is 2-0 with a 4.98 ERA over 21.2 innings (12 ER) … faced Arizona in Colorado on April 30, picking up the win in a quality start … spun six innings with one run allowed on three hits and two walks.
ON YOUR LEFT
- Lefty hitters are batting .373 (38-for-102) with seven home runs off Gomber this season after holding opposing lefties to a .221 average in 2022 (30-for136), the ninth-lowest in a single season in franchise history (min. 140 batters
faced.). - Left-handed hitters’ 1.086 OPS off Gomber is the fifth-highest in the Majors.
STREAKS
- Began his season with four straight losses through April 19, the eighth time a Rockies starter has started 0-4 through their first four starts of a season … first since Roy Oswalt (five straight, June 20-Sept. 14) and Jeff Manship (four straight, Aug. 8-24) in 2013.
- Went 4-0 across his next six starts, April 24-May 23, posting a 3.74 ERA (33.2 IP, 14 ER) with three quality starts … Rockies went 7-1 over an eightstart Gomber stretch from April 24-June 3 (4-0, 4.91 ERA).
- Lost three of his next five starts, May 28-June 19, with a 9.00 ERA in 22 innings with 23 runs (22 earned) … opponents hit .364 off of him over this stretch.
- Won his next four starts from June 25 to July 14 … three quality starts and a 0.75 BB/9 … the only Rockies starter with two streaks of four winning decisions this season.
- Holds an 11-start streak of at least five innings pitched and four or fewer earned runs allowed, tied for the ninth-longest streak in the NL this season and tied for the fourth-longest active stretch … longest such streak for a Rockie since Kyle Freeland’s 12-game span in 2021.
