Arenado, Rockies send Astros to their fifth consecutive loss
Verlander comes up short again in quest for 200th victory.
Nolan Arenado hated his first career appearance at designated hitter Tuesday night.
However, the Colorado slugger couldn’t be mad at his results at the plate.
Arenado and Trevor Story each went deep, German Marquez pitched well in a clash with Justin Verlander, and the Rockies beat the slumping Houston Astros 5-1.
Colorado trailed by 1 and Verlander (11-8) had retired 13 of 14 when D J LeMahieu singled with two outs in the sixth inning. Arenado then hit a 96 mph fastball into the third row in right field for his 30th homer to put Colorado up 2-1.
Arenado, who has spent his entire six-year career playing in the National League with Colorado, had made each his 825 career appearances at third base entering Tuesday’s game.
“It was awful,” he said of not playing defense. “I didn’t like it. I hope I never have to DH.”
His work at the plate made him the fourth player in franchise history to hit at least 30 homers in four straight years. Arenado didn’t think it was gone when he hit it and had to wait for the crowd’s reaction to know for sure.
Houston has matched a season high with five straight losses and extended its home skid to nine games, its longest of the season.
“You feel like nothing’s going your way and you’re a little snake-bitten,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’re going to have to do more, obviously, and it’s a challenge for me and our coaching staff to get more out of these guys to have a little bit more fun, a little bit more life. This is a very, very tough game and we’re getting beat up, mentally and physically.”
The Rockies have won four in a row after losing the previous three and improved to 12-5 against the AL this season to set a franchise record for interleague victories.
Ian Desmond tripled and scored on a single by Charlie Blackmon to extend the lead in the ninth.
Marquez (10-9) allowed just three hits and a run while fanning seven in seven innings.
Verlander was denied his 200th win again as he dropped his second straight despite striking out 11 in six innings, allowing six hits and two runs.
After being swept in a fourgame series against the Mariners this weekend, Houston’s woes continued against the Rockies after a day off Monday. The top three batters in the order went 0 for 11 on a night the Astros managed just three hits as they look for a way to jump-start their once-powerful offense with reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve out indefinitely with a sore knee.
Diamondbacks 6, Rangers 4: In Arlington, Paul Goldschmidt’s 27th homer in the first inning put the NL West-leaders ahead to stay, the Arizona Diamondbacks tacked on enough runs to back All-Star lefty Patrick Corbin’s seven strong innings in a victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
Arizona led 1-0 before Corbin (10-4) threw the first of his 96 pitches — 66 of them strikes as he struck out seven without a walk.
Goldschmidt went deep to left in the first with a solo shot off Yovani Gallardo (7-2). Arizona led 4-0 in the fourth after Daniel Descalso had an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch. Descalso earlier had an RBI groundout.
Alex Avila’s sixth homer was a two-out solo shot to straightway center in the sixth.
Jurickson Profar had a sacrifice fly for Texas before an RBI double to end his 0-for15 slide.