Getting back to being a .500 team is proving to be problematic for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With a win in their sights that would have evened their record for the first time since late April, the Diamondbacks were overtaken late and lost 6-4 Thursday to the Colorado Rockies.
"We had the game where we wanted to have it," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "You know, (Troy) Tulowitzki came off the bench and hits a home run. It's just very typical playing in this ballpark. The game is never over. One-run games are tough to hold. The one thing that was disappointing was not being able to stop the damage once it started."
Tulowitzki started a five-run eighth inning with his first career pinch-hit home run, and the Rockies managed to fend off Arizona's comeback try in the ninth to deny a return to .500. It was the Diamondbacks' 11th missed chance to even their record since the last time they were at .500 on April 24.
The Diamondbacks scored two runs in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate when John Axford struck out Yasmany Tomas for the final out, notching his 13th save in 14 chances.
"We had a few opportunities to have the game," said Goldschmidt, who put Axford through a grueling 10-pitch at-bat before flying out to left for the second out of the inning.
"We had people get on and then they bring in Axford. He was able to make a few pitches to get out of the inning."
Axford had blown a save for the first time this season in an 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa left after seven effective innings with the Diamondbacks in front 2-1. Reliever Daniel Hudson opened the eighth against Tulowitzki, Colorado's slugging shortstop who was brought in to bat for Justin Miller (1-0).
Tulowitzki drove a 1-0 pitch from Hudson (2-3) beyond the centre field wall into the Rockies' bullpen for his eighth home run of the season. The Rockies sent 11 batters to the plate, including five who reached on walks, two intentionally.
"I just trying to get it down," Hudson said of his pitch to Tulowitzki. "I just left it up a little bit. He put a pretty good swing on it. Then I walked the next guy and it snowballed which is the way things happen here. It's tough sometimes to stop it."
Colorado went in front on Ben Paulsen's run-scoring groundout, added an RBI single from Wilin Rosario and added two more runs that scored on third baseman Aaron Hill's fielding error.
Jorge De La Rosa had matched his Diamondbacks counterpart through five scoreless innings before walking the first two batters in the sixth. He stepped off the mound and began rubbing the finger and trainers came out to the mound to check on him. De La Rosa has been bothered by the cut for his past few starts.
His grip affected by the injury, De La Rosa was lifted in favour of reliever Christian Bergman, who allowed an RBI single by Welington Castillo.
The Rockies had another scary moment when catcher Michael McKenry and third baseman Nolan Arenado collided in foul territory as they raced to catch Chris Owings' popup. McKenry hung on to make the catch while Arenado seemed to take the worst of the collision.
Arenado shook it off, though, and subsequently homered on the first pitch he saw from Rubby De La Rosa to even the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth.
The Diamondbacks regained the lead in the seventh. With two outs, Nick Ahmed doubled down the third base line off Bergman and A.J. Pollock followed with a run-scoring double to left.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: RHP Archie Bradley, one of the team's top prospects, has been sent to Phoenix to have his right shoulder examined. Bradley, who has been dealing with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, made his first rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno on Wednesday. "He just didn't feel that great after the outing so we sent him back to Phoenix to be evaluated," Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (2-2), whose 1.78 ERA ranks fourth among major league starters, is set to start Friday's series opener at San Diego on Friday.
Rockies: Head out on a 10-game road trip, longest of the season. It begins with a weeklong stay in the San Francisco Bay area for a series against the Giants followed by an interleague matchup with the Oakland Athletics. RHP Chad Bettis (3-2) will start Friday's series opener against the Giants.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.