The Colorado Rockies lost 2-1 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a walk-off single Wednesday night in a game that turned on a tense fifth inning and little else. Kyle Karros hit a hard ball to third base in that frame, but Nolan Arenado robbed him of a hit as Colorado’s best chance to score slipped away.
The Rockies did not record their first hit until the fifth inning and did not have a baserunner until the fourth, when Willi Castro drew a walk. That made the fifth inning feel like a breakthrough. Ezequiel Tovar opened the inning with a double to right field, and with one out Jake McCarthy reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners. Braxton Fulford then laid down a bunt in front of the mound for a squeeze play, but the inning ended without a run.
That missed opportunity defined a tight pitching duel between Zach Agnos and Eduardo Rodriguez. Agnos worked five innings for Colorado and allowed one walk while striking out four. Rodriguez went seven innings for Arizona, giving up four hits and striking out four. Neither side gave away much, and the Rockies’ first clean chance at pressure came and went in the span of a few pitches.
Karros’ ball to third was the sort of play that can change a game. Instead, Arenado’s stop helped keep Colorado scoreless in the inning and left the Rockies chasing a run the rest of the night. Arizona finished the job with the walk-off single later in the game, handing Colorado another one-run loss and another night in which the margins were painfully thin.
The result fit the shape of the game. The Rockies had one real opening, and it came in the fifth inning. They could not cash it in, and the Diamondbacks made sure that mistake did not go unpunished.
