DENVER — As the Rockies’ season winds down — there are only 46 games remaining after Arizona shut them out, 6-0, on Saturday night at Coors Field — a lot of players are going to face increased scrutiny.
Players such as right-hander Jose Urena, who gave up three home runs over his six innings vs. Arizona. The Rockies’ offense, smothered by right-hander Zac Gallen, gave Urena no help. Colorado had a total of three hits.
Fittingly, Alex Thomas made a spectacular leaping catch at the center-field wall to rob C.J. Cron of a two-run homer for the final out of the game.
Urena, designated for assignment by Milwaukee in early May and then picked up by Colorado, showed a lot of promise early on. He began his Rockies career with three quality starts, going 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA. But he’s 0-3 (the Rockies 0-5) over his last five starts, with a 7.77 ERA and six homers surrendered.
At least Urena toughed it out long enough to give the Rockies’ bullpen a little relief, but he gave up four runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking two.
Arizona scored its fifth run in the eighth when Daulton Varsho nearly hit an inside-the-park homer off Jake Bird. Varsho looped a ball into right-field, and as the ball rattled around in the corner, Varsho sprinted around third and raced for home. The ball was ruled a triple, and an error was charged to Charlie Blackmon, who bobbled the ball in the corner.
Urena, who turns 31 next month, will be a free agent at the end of the season. He is currently auditioning not only for a possible spot in the back end of the Rockies’ rotation but for other major league teams as well.
Gallen, 27, has no such issues. He was magical Saturday night, pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing just two singles — one by Brendan Rodgers in the first and a single by Randal Grichuk in the fifth. Gallen struck out six, walked only one and no Rockie reached second base against him.
In fact, no Rockies players reached second base until Brendan Rodgers roped a two-out double in the ninth off Ian Kennedy.
Gallen improved to 8-2 and reduced his ERA to 2.94. He continues to dominate the Rockies. In 11 career starts, he’s 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 74 strikeouts.
Emmanuel Rivera put the D-backs on the board with a one-out, solo homer off Urena in the first. Rivera hit an encore solo homer in the third.
Rivera’s two dingers were solid shots, but Josh Rojas’ two-run homer to left in the fifth inning traveled just 368 feet and barely crept over the left-field wall.
The Rockies and D-backs, who have taken turns in the National League West basement most of the season, will play the deciding game of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Coors.
