Carroll homers twice and Rodriguez strikes out 11 in Diamondbacks' 9-4 victory over the Rockies

DENVER — Corbin Carroll hit two home runs for his third multi-homer game of the year, Eduardo Rodriguez struck out a season-high 11 and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 9-4 on Wednesday to avert a series sweep.

Randal Grichuk also homered and doubled, Christian Walker drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly, and Pavin Smith had an RBI double in the Diamondbacks’ three-run ninth inning.

The defending National League champion, Arizona (84-68) matched last year’s total for wins and moved a half-game in front of the Mets for the second of three NL wild cards. New York played Washington on Wednesday night.

“I was happy with it,” Rodriguez said. “I know we need to win most every game we play right now, so winning today was just good. To be available, and to go out there for 6 1/3 innings was good, especially because I know the team needed it and I was available to do it.”

The last-place Rockies got two-run singles from Ezequiel Tovar and Sam Hilliard.

The Diamondbacks took an early 6-0 lead against Austin Gomber (3-11), who exited after two innings in his shortest outing of the season. He allowed six runs — five earned — and six hits, including both homers by Carroll and the second-inning shot by Grichuk, which came immediately after Carroll’s 21st of the season.

“It was great to get on the board in the first inning and obviously to jump out the way that we did kind of took them out of the game a little bit,” said Carroll, who scored three runs and has crossed the plate 22 times in his last 21 games. “Then to add on in the ninth was big as well.”

Gomber, who has given up an NL-high 30 homers this season, lost to Arizona for the first time in his career. He was 3-0 with a 4.89 ERA in nine previous starts against the Diamondbacks.

“A lot of pitches in the middle of the plate. Really good teams are going to take advantage of that," Gomber said. "Feel like you’re throwing the ball well for an extended period of time and then you have a really bad one. But I’ve gotten by it before and I’ll get by it again. I think I have one more start, so my goal is to finish strong.”

Rodriguez (3-3) went 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits to snap his three-game losing streak. He registered a strikeout in each of his six full innings and had multiple strikeouts in four of them. His strikeout total was two shy of his career high of 13 with Boston at Tampa Bay in September 2016.

“He was ready for this game,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We needed him to step up in a big way and he did.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. played in a simulated game at the team’s Arizona training facility and is very close to returning from a strained left calf that has sidelined him since Sept. 2. “Getting close means it could happen a lot sooner than later. We’re very hopeful for that,” Lovullo said.

Rockies: RHP Antonio Senzatela, reinstated from the injured list Monday ahead of his first start in 16 months following Tommy John surgery, came out of the three-inning outing well. He threw a bullpen Wednesday and is slated to make another start Sunday at Dodger Stadium. “His arm feels good,” manager Bud Black said. “He’s ready to go.” Limited to 67 pitches in his initial outing, Senzatela could be increased to around 80-85 pitches, depending on his performance.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: Begin a four-game series at NL Central champion Milwaukee on Thursday night. RHP Brandon Pfaadt (9-9, 4.81 ERA) is slated to start the opener against RHP Tobias Myers (8-5, 3.07).

Rockies: Following an off day, the Rockies open a three-game weekend series Friday at the Los Angeles Dodgers. LHP Kyle Freeland (5-7, 4.89 ERA) is slated to start the first game for Colorado.