Rockies Bash Past D-backs Behind Sullivan’s Power Display

The Colorado Rockies came to Chase Field on Wednesday and did what too many visiting teams fail to do against the Arizona Diamondbacks: they swung the lumber with purpose and came away with a 6-4 victory that exposed the holes in Merrill Kelly‘s otherwise respectable season.

Sullivan’s Blast Sets the Tone

Brett Sullivan arrived at the plate in the second inning with runners on and delivered the dagger, crushing a three-run homer that immediately put the Rockies in the driver’s seat. This wasn’t some bantam league cheapie either. Sullivan hit it hard to right field, the kind of no-doubt bomb that makes opposing pitching coaches groan and reach for the bullpen phone. Three RBIs in one swing. That’s how you take control of a game.

Merrill Kelly was rattled from that moment forward. The D-backs starter had surrendered six earned runs by the end of five innings, a performance that falls somewhere between disappointing and unacceptable for a veteran pitcher in a competitive division race. When you’re supposed to be anchoring your rotation and you’re getting hit around like a Double-A retreads, your team’s playoff hopes take a hit they can’t afford.

The Rockies weren’t done flexing. Zac Veen, a player who’s looking more and more like a legitimate major league contributor, hammered his first career home run in the fourth inning, a two-run shot to right-center that felt like a dagger to any remaining D-backs momentum. That makes back-to-back homers for Colorado in this contest, and suddenly you’re looking at a game that Arizona was simply never going to recover from.

Arizona’s Missed Opportunities Haunt Them

Here’s what’s maddening about this loss for the Diamondbacks: they had their chances. Corbin Carroll hit his 100th career home run in the eighth inning, a solo shot that at least put Arizona on the board late. But that’s not enough when you’re chasing. The D-backs kept getting runners on base and kept failing to manufacture the big hit when it mattered. That’s a recipe for October disappointment, and it’s a pattern we’ve seen too often from this team.

The Diamondbacks managed four runs, and frankly, they should’ve scored more. Ketel Marte drove in a run on an early single. Gabriel Moreno doubled home a run. Ildemaro Vargas earned an RBI on a bases-loaded walk. The ingredients were there for a victory. The execution, however, fell short when it counted.

Feltner Gets the Win in Workmanlike Effort

Ryan Feltner wasn’t overpowering Wednesday night, but he was effective, allowing just seven hits over five innings while walking three and striking out two. This is professional pitching, the kind that doesn’t blow you away in the highlight reel but absolutely does its job. Jordan Romano came in for the final inning and closed it out cleanly for the save.

The Rockies leave Phoenix with a road victory that matters more than most mid-August games, while Arizona heads back to the drawing board asking themselves the same question they always seem to: how did we let this one get away? In baseball, homers and heart-to-heart execution win ballgames. On Wednesday, the Rockies had both.