The Arizona Diamondbacks crushed the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields 8-4. Arizona put up a crooked number up in the first and then continued to add on offensively to cruise to a win.
Eugenio Suarez powers Diamondbacks offense
Facing the Rockies' top prospect Chase Dollander, the Diamondbacks were able to get to him early. Arizona capitalized on a key error by Thairo Estrada on a potential double play ball off the bat of Josh Naylor. Eugenio Suarez came up and crushed a 97 MPH fastball.
Geno Suarez destroys this baseball. #Dbacks lead 3-0. pic.twitter.com/J6ntYgWGq3
— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) March 1, 2025
The home run was Suarez's first of the spring and put Arizona ahead 3-0. The long ball set the tone for the type of day it was going to be for both the Diamondbacks and Rockies.
The Diamondbacks continued to tack on offensively after the big first inning. A.J. Vukovich and Ildemaro Vargas homered in the second and sixth innings respectively. Vargas has been especially hot this spring, going 6-for-13 with two home runs, two doubles, and a 1.577 OPS. He continues to set a high bar in the backup shortstop competition.
The ABS challenge system also came to the Diamondbacks' aid in the fifth. With a runner in scoring position and two outs, home plate umpire Bill Miller rung up Garrett Hampson for the final strike of the inning. However, Hampson challenged the strike call, which was overturned to Ball 3. The next pitch was blooped into right center field for an RBI single.
The Diamondbacks then got to Angel Chivilli in the sixth. Following Vargas' home run, Vukovich, Hampson, and English doubled to push the lead to 8-0. The large lead allowed them to weather a late rally from the Rockies that made the final score closer than the game actually was.
Zac Gallen and Tommy Henry strong against the Rockies
Both Zac Gallen and Tommy Henry had strong outings against the Rockies. Gallen started the game and pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. His fastball was operating in the 91-94 MPH range, up from his first start. Talking to reporter Todd Walsh after his start on the DbacksTV broadcast, Gallen said he was working on his delivery.
"It felt pretty good, I feel like I'm getting there."
Henry followed Gallen and was equally impressive. He completed three innings and struck out four, showing good command of his pitches. The big moment came in the fourth, when he bounced back from a leadoff double by striking out the next three hitters. He was spotting his fastball on the edges of the strike zone and his breaking balls to the back foot of the right-handed hitters.
Henry finished with 10 whiffs, including five on his four-seam fastball. It was a big step in the right direction for the left-hander, who struggled in his previous outing against the Seattle Mariners. While he's on the outside looking in for a rotation spot, strong outings will have him near the top of the list of injury call-ups.
The Diamondbacks will head to Surprise to take on the Texas Rangers. Eduardo Rodriguez will make his spring debut while Jon Gray will take the bump for the Rangers. First pitch at Surprise Stadium will be at 1:05 P.M. MST. There is no television broadcast, but both teams will broadcast it over the radio.