PHOENIX — Zac Gallen pitched six shutout innings, Ketel Marte and Evan Longoria homered in the first inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Gallen (7-2) is 6-0 with a 0.66 ERA in six starts at Chase Field this season. He gave up five hits and two walks and struck out seven to win for the first time in three starts and lower his season ERA to 2.72. The right-hander hasn’t allowed a homer in 63 innings - dating to his second start of the season.
“Curveball felt a lot better than in the last few starts,” Gallen said. “First inning, I didn’t feel super sharp, but I just tried to get better as the game went on.
“We were up early so I was just trying to keep zeroes on the board. I had a little better fastball command in the later innings.”
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he pulled Gallen after 90 pitches because he wanted to get the bullpen some work.
Colorado had one hit in each of the first five innings, but Gallen was able to escape thanks to a double play, some strikeouts and some solid outfield defense.
PHOTOS: Gallen pitches 6 shutout innings, Diamondbacks hit 3 HRs in a5-1 win over Rockies
“That’s what he does best, that’s what makes him so good,” Lovullo said. “He gets real stubborn, he slows the game down and he’s in total control and starts to make pitches. He pitches at a different level.”
Corbin Carroll also homered and scored twice for Arizona, which has won three in a row.
Nolan Jones hit his first homer of the year in the ninth for Colorado against reliever Kevin Ginkel. Ezequiel Tovar had three of the Rockies’ eight hits.
The Diamondbacks took the lead on Kyle Freeland’s second pitch of the game. Ketel Marte homered off the foul pole screen in left for his eighth of the season. After Christian Walker worked a two-out walk, Longoria belted a 3-1 pitch 452 feet to center field to make it 3-0. It was Longoria’s seventh homer of the year.
Arizona added a run in the fourth. Carroll walked and stole second and third, giving him 16 steals for the year, and scored on Gabriel Moreno’s sacrifice fly. Carroll’s ninth homer, in the sixth, made it 5-0.
Freeland (4-6) pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and five runs. His career woes against the Diamondbacks continue; he’s 3-8 with a 5.49 ERA in 19 starts against the division rivals.
“Missed location in the first inning to both Marte and Longoria,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Tried to get fastballs inside and it ran to the middle. Those were the backbreakers for Kyle.”
The Rockies’ Ryan McMahon was 1 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts and saw his home run streak end at four straight games. Jurickson Profar walked leading off the first to extend his on-base streak to 37 games.
ROCKIES MOVES
Colorado called up Blair Calvo from Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, and the 27-year-old right-hander made his major league debut, pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Karl Kauffman, who started Monday against the Diamondbacks and gave up seven runs in four innings, was optioned to the minor league team.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks LHP Joe Mantiply (strained left hamstring) threw 25 pitches before the game in a live batting practice session, and C Carson Kelly (right forearm fracture) was hitting against him, Lovullo said. Kelly, on the 60-day injured list since spring training, will join Triple-A Reno to begin a rehab assignment later this week.
NEXT
The Rockies will activate RHP Dinelson Lamet (1-1, 12.66) from the injured list Wednesday. He’ll start against Arizona LHP Tommy Henry (2-1, 4.50).
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