PHOENIX, May 8 \u2014 Zac Gallen spread five hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out seven, to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> to a 4\u20130 victory over the Colorado Rockies<\/a> Sunday afternoon. Ketel Marte also went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored to pace the Diamondbacks offensively. Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 in defeat.<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks tagged Rockies starter German M\u00e1rquez for three runs in the bottom of the second. After first baseman Christian Walker struck out, Marte roped a double down the right-field line. A walk by third baseman Geraldo Perdomo put runners on first and second for shortstop Nick Ahmed, whose single plated Marte with the first run. Center fielder and major league debutant Alex Thomas struck out before catcher Jose Herrera doubled Perdomo and Ahmed home.<\/p>\n Gallen said after the game that it \u201cabsolutely\u201d gave him a nice boost to get a two-run double from his batterymate. \u201cJose works so hard back there. For every pitcher, he calls an unbelievable game. So for him to drive in the runs \u2014 it’s not just my outing out there. It’s his, too. He’s out there throwing down the fingers, making plays, blocking balls, and whatnot. So for him to drive in a couple of runs for himself is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas notched his first major league hit in the bottom of the fifth, crashing a double off the left-field wall. After Herrera sacrificed him to third, designated hitter Cooper Hummel walked. An errant pickoff attempt to first by Marquez brought Thomas home, making the score 4\u20130 as Thomas scored his first major league run.<\/p>\n Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo asked Gallen how he felt after the seventh inning. \u201cI told him I felt fine, which is my standard answer for just about everything,\u201d Gallen said with a smile. \u201c \u2018Fine\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean that I\u2019m tired, but that I feel good. But coming off a hundred pitches and a big-time adrenaline start, I get it. We’re up four to nothing, so hand it over to the bullpen, let them shut it down, and get a series win.\u201d<\/p>\n Hand it over to the bullpen is exactly what Gallen did. Noe Ramirez, after three days of rest, took the hill in the eighth. He retired all four hitters he faced, handing the ball to lefty Joe Mantiply for the final two batters of the game. Mantiply fanned both, sealing the victory for the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n Lovullo spoke with a smile after the game. \u201cIf you draw up a game plan,\u201d he said, \u201cyou want your starting pitcher to attack. (You want him to) give you chance to win the baseball game by controlling (the opponent\u2019s) offensive potential. We know what the Rockies are capable of doing. Zac did a great job of that. We scored an early run. I thought the key blow today was Jose Herrera\u2019s double down the right-field line that broke this game open.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re very stubborn in those situations. Once we get a lead, we’ve been doing a good job of hanging onto it. Guys came out of the bullpen today and did exactly what we wanted them to. I think everybody’s pretty much gassed up down there. When everybody is available, those pieces fall into place pretty well. I thought that Noe did a really nice job as well as Mantiply. But really, for me, it was the seven scoreless innings that Zac gave us. You shut out a very offensive team \u2014 and they\u2019re doing it at home and<\/em> on the road, so it doesn’t matter \u2014 you’re doing a lot right.\u201d<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s game was a nice bounceback for Ramirez, who had some disappointing outings on the road trip. Lovullo said, \u201cHe\u2019s had a couple of hiccups. I know that. For a period of time, we were down three right-handed relievers with (J.B.) Wendelken, (Sean) Poppen, and (Mark) Melancon. Between (Ramirez) and Ian Kennedy, they shouldered a lot of that load. A lot of those late-inning matchups fell on their shoulders. We were trying to rest them when we could, but they never complained about it once. They went out there and helped us win some baseball games, but they were gassed. It was nice to give them the time off that we did, I think it was three days off. Ian responded and threw the ball great yesterday, and Noe was great today. So I feel like they\u2019re at full strength. It was nice for all of us to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez pitched in front of his parents Sunday. \u201cThey make a trip out, on average, twice a year. It\u2019s always nice to have them out here, and it was fun to do well in front of them, too. My mom was pretty pumped up. She started crying out there when I hugged her.\u201d<\/p>\n His two most recent outings were subpar, to which Ramirez said he had to \u201caccept the fact that I did<\/em> have to recharge. I don’t like to ever tell Torey I\u2019m tired or anything like that. But we had a nice little talk, and he understood that. He’s known me since 2011, so he knows the type of guy I am.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt good, honestly, to be back to what I do and what I’m used to doing, mechanics-wise and all that. It’s great that in those two games where I didn\u2019t pitch very well, we ended up winning still. I would have really beaten myself up if, somehow, we had ended up losing those games. It’s awesome to be back contributing and winning again.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez said he wasn\u2019t really tired but that \u201cI felt like I needed a little more effort in those two outings. I wasn\u2019t sore \u2014 nothing like that. It was just that something was a little off. I\u2019ll pitch three days in a row any time for (Torey). He knows that. So I try to keep that I\u2019m tired out of my head.\u201d<\/p>\n Mantiply, the former lefty specialist, likes that Lovullo is now trusting him to get both lefties and righties out. \u201cIt feels good. I’ve always had pretty good confidence against righties. My changeup has always been my go-to pitch. So I’ve always felt really comfortable against righties. I\u2019m glad I’m getting opportunities to go out, finish games, and do my job.\u201d He gets an added incentive to pitch a scoreless inning when he\u2019s part of a shutout. \u201cObviously, shutouts are great. You definitely want to keep the morale high \u2014 go out and shut the door.\u201d<\/p>\n Mantiply has now pitched scoreless ball in 13 of his 14 trips to the mound, dropping his ERA to 0.77.<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks have now won nine of their past twelve games and three of their past four series. In the fourth series, they split (2\u20132) with the St. Louis Cardinals.<\/p>\n Gallen (2\u20130) earned the win Sunday, while Marquez (0\u20133) took the loss. The Diamondbacks (15\u201314) continue their homestand Monday with a three-game series against the Miami Marlins (13\u201315), while the Rockies will head to San Francisco for a three-gamer with the Giants. For the Diamondbacks, they will send Humberto Castellanos (2\u20131, 4.12 ERA) to the hill against Elieser Hernandez (2\u20131, 6.66 ERA) in a battle of right-handers. The Rockies will start southpaw Austin Gomber (2\u20132, 3.58 ERA) against Giants lefty Carlos Rodon (3\u20131, 1.55 ERA). Both games will start around the same time \u2014 6:40 pm Arizona Time for the Diamondbacks and 6:45 pm Arizona Time for the Rockies.<\/p>\n\u201cHand It Over to the Bullpen\u201d<\/h3>\n
Postgame Reflections<\/h3>\n
Noe Ramirez<\/h3>\n
Needing to Recharge<\/h4>\n
Joe Mantiply<\/h3>\n
Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n
Main Photo:<\/h4>\n