Rockies salvage game from weekend series on Moniak’s homer

Rockies Report, Game 78:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Mickey Moniak’s 11th home run of the season — a three-run, two-out shot off Brandon Pfaadt in the fifth inning — provided all the offense the Rockies needed as Colorado avoided a home sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 4-2 win at Coors Field on Sunday.

Moniak’s line drive bounced off the top of the hand-operated scoreboard in right field and into the stands, scoring Kyle Farmer and Braxton Fulford. Earlier in the inning, Fulford had put Colorado on the board with an RBI single that scored Brenton Doyle.

👏 MICKEY SENDS ONE TO THE SEATS 👏 pic.twitter.com/h5JDJGLLWD

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 22, 2025

The fifth-inning work stood up thanks to a solid start from Antonio Senzatela and stout work from the bullpen, which held Arizona to just one hit over the final 3 2/3 innings. No Diamondback reached third base after Moniak’s homer.

The win was Colorado’s second over Arizona in six games so far this season. The Rockies improved to 18-60.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

While it didn’t officially stand as a “quality start” for Senzatela, his 5 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-walk work was enough to yield his second consecutive win after a 1-10 start to the campaign.

The first-inning issues that have typically plagued Senzatela were absent Sunday, as he retired Geraldo Perdomo, Ildemaro Vargas and Pavin Smith in order to open the contest. Trouble arrived in the second inning when he opened with by walking Josh Naylor and then allowing a double to Eugenio Suárez, whose sizzling weekend at Colorado’s expense continued.

Randal Grichuk scored Naylor on a sacrifice fly for the only run of that frame. The ex-Rockies slugger also tagged Senzatela for another run in the fourth, bringing home Naylor with a two-out RBI single.

Naylor had advanced to second on a wild pitch.

Nevertheless, four hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings represented an efficient afternoon for Senzatela, who has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of his four June starts and seems to be turning a corner in his return from Tommy John surgery.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Closer Seth Halvorsen got Ketel Marte to fly out to left field on an 0-1 pitch with Grichuk on second base, ending Arizona’s ninth-inning threat.

NUMBERS TO NOTE: 7-5 — Colorado’s record in home series finales this season. The Rockies are 1-24 in all other home games.

WHAT’S NEXT: A home off-day before the Los Angeles Dodgers arrive for a three-game series. Germán Márquez will start the Tuesday night opener of the set, with a scheduled first-pitch time of 6:40 p.m. MDT.

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