PHOENIX (AP) - The Colorado Rockies look nothing like the struggling squad that was 3-12 on April 14 and on its way to a long season.
They’re 37-22 since that rough start, including another hard-fought victory Thursday.
Chris Iannetta’s two-run, bases-loaded single in the 10th inning lifted the Rockies to a 6-4 win that completed a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. That came after the Rockies tied it at 4 on Tony Wolters’ pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the ninth.
“There’s a ton of resiliency in this team,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “There’s fight in this group. … I think there’s a real level-headedness to this group that allows it to think clearly.”
Iannetta, a former Diamondbacks catcher, singled off the center-field wall against Yoshihisa Hirano (3-4) with one out to drive in Ian Desmond and Brendan Rodgers.
“You’re trying to hit a sacrifice fly, they fall behind 2-0, so now you’re looking for a pitch over the plate to hopefully do it with,” Iannetta said. “I hit it good. I felt my hands rattle a little bit, so I know I didn’t get all of it, but I got a lot of it.”
Desmond got to third base on a single by Rodgers, who was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day and entered in the bottom of the ninth at shortstop when Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado left with a bruised left big toe.
Arenado said he’s dealt with a sore foot since the Rockies’ previous series against San Diego, when he fouled a ball of his foot, and that it has swelled up and required ice. He got X-rays after Thursday’s game and said he’s in pain, but it’s something he said he will have to deal with.
Scott Oberg (5-0) got the win with two scoreless innings in relief, but had to pitch out of jam in the bottom of the 10th when the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with one out. He got Ildemaro Vargas to fly out, and then struck out David Peralta swinging to end the game.
The Rockies had a chance to win it in the ninth after Wolters tied it off Holland, who was pitching for the first time in a week. But Daniel Murphy grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners at first and third.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo shouldered the responsibility for not finding opportunities for Holland to pitch since June 12.
“I’m not going to use that as an excuse,” Holland said. “We should’ve won and we needed to win, and I let it slip away from us there, so I take responsibility for that.”
Charlie Blackmon and Desmond homered for the Rockies, who have won eight in a row over the Diamondbacks.
“These are tough times right now. It’s a very grinding, tough situation that we’re walking through,” Lovullo said. “We’re all frustrated, but we’ve got to move off that as quickly as possible.”
Christian Walker’s two-run pinch-hit homer keyed a three-run sixth, helping the Diamondbacks take a 4-3 lead.
Ketel Marte had four hits and tied a club record for consecutive three-hit games with his fourth. Peralta drove in Marte with a single in the sixth.
Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray pitched six innings, allowing three runs and four hits with nine strikeouts and five walks.
Blackmon hit the second pitch of the game into the seats in right field, his fifth leadoff home run of the season and 35th of his career. Desmond’s solo shot came in the fifth, his 10th of the season.
The Diamondbacks tied it at 1 in the bottom of the first inning on Eduardo Escobar’s sacrifice fly.
Rockiers starter Jeff Hoffman was done at the 82-pitch mark with two outs in the third after he hit Nick Ahmed with a pitch. Hoffman allowed a run on three hits, walked four, struck out five and threw a pair of wild pitches in his shortest outing of the season.
The Rockies made it 2-1 following a leadoff walk to Arenado to open the fourth. Arenado made it to second base on a long fly out and scored on Ryan McMahon’s two-out double.
McMahon is 14 for 31 with 10 RBIs over a career-best seven-game hitting streak.
“It feels good to win against a good team,” Arenado said. “To come here and get a sweep is not an easy thing to do.”
LO-’CATCH’-STRO
The Diamondbacks’ Tim Locastro, who entered in the fifth in center field, made two running catches that ended in collisions with the wall. He flagged down deep line drives from Pat Valaika and David Dahl in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
TRAINERS’ ROOM
Rockies: Story was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right thumb before Thursday’s game. Story was injured while sliding head-first into second base trying to stretch a hit into a double in the sixth inning Wednesday night. “A relief that it’s not as bad as it could have been,” Story said.
Diamondbacks: Ahmed was removed after four innings with a left hand bruise, the result of being hit by Hoffman’s pitch. He told Lovullo he is OK to play after X-rays were negative, but Lovullo will make a decision on Ahmed’s availability on Friday.
UP NEXT
Rockies: Colorado opens a three-game series with the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, with RHP German Marquez (7-3, 4.57 earned run average) getting the start in the opener. Marquez entered Thursday second in the NL with 102 1/3 innings pitched.
Diamondbacks: RHP Taylor Clarke (1-2, 5.34) starts the opener of a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. The Giants will be the first team Clarke has faced more than once in his career.
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