PHOENIX — Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run home run and Trevor Cahill survived a rocky outing for his first victory of the year when the Arizona Diamondbacks ran its winning streak to three games with a 3-2 victory over Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
Goldschmidt’s fifth home run of the year broke a tie at 1 in the fourth inning and struck the left field foul pole about 10 feet from the top. The pole extends into the third deck of seats at Chase Field and is 90-feet, 9-inches high, the D-backs said.
Cahill (1-3) gave up four hits and four walks in five innings. He also hit a batter and threw two wild pitches, but the Rockies’ only run off him was unearned. He pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fifth before the bullpen took over.
Colorado left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (2-2) gave up three runs, two earned, in six innings in a pitching rematch from a game the Rockies won, 4-3, last Saturday.
Eric Young Jr. had two hits for Colorado, and he scored on Troy Tulowitzki’s double to make it 3-2 in the seventh inning.
J.J. Putz pitched the ninth inning for his fourth save after giving up game-tying home runs in the ninth inning in two of his last three save opportunities.
Colorado (14-8) leads the NL West, one game ahead of Arizona (13-9) and San Francisco (13-9). The Rockies won two of three games from the D-backs in Denver last weekend.
Gerardo Parra reached base four times, on two singles and two walks, and scored ahead of Goldschmidt’s homer in the fourth after reaching on an infield single. Wil Nieves had three hits for Arizona.
The Diamondbacks broke De La Rosa’s scoreless-innings streak at 17 with an unearned run in the second. Goldschmidt reached on third baseman Ryan Wheeler’s throwing error before Cody Ross and Wil Nieves singled for a 1-0 lead. De La Rosa had not been scored upon since giving up three runs to San Francisco in his second start on April 8.
Colorado tied it with an unearned run off Cahill in the fourth. Michael Cuddyer’s routine ground ball down the third base line hit the bag and caromed into left field for a double. After a walk and a wild pitch, Arizona third baseman Martin Prado could not make the exchange on a slow roller for an error as Cuddyer scored.
NOTES: Arizona outfielder Gerardo Parra extended his hitting streak to 10 games, tying his career high, after beating out an infield chopper in the third inning when no one covered first base. … Colorado placed first baseman Todd Helton on the disabled list with left forearm inflammation on Thursday, a move retroactive to April 20. Helton, 39, is hitting .268 with three doubles, one home run and 10 RBI. “We want to give him every opportunity to get healthy because he is so important to our club,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss said. … The Rockies recalled corner infielder Ryan Wheeler from Class AAA Colorado Springs to take Helton’s place on the roster. Wheeler, who made his major-league debut with Arizona last July 20, was hitting .348 with two homers and 16 RBI at Colorado Springs. … D-backs rookie shortstop Didi Gregorius, who has hit safely in all six games after being recalled April 16, was held out of the starting lineup after playing the previous four games. He is 10 for 25 with four doubles, two homers and two RBI in six games since being activated from the disabled list on April 16.