Blaze Alexander's 4 RBIs & Corbin Carroll's HR led the D-backs to a 6-1 win over the Rockies on Aug 9. See how Gallen's pitching locked down the victory.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
This is the version of the Diamondbacks fans want to see. With one swing in the first and another in the fourth, Blaze Alexander drove in four runs to power a 6-1 win over the Rockies at Chase Field on Saturday night. Corbin Carroll added a two-run shot—his 24th of the year—and Zac Gallen looked every bit the staff anchor, spinning six strong innings as Arizona won for the fourth time in six games and nudged closer to the right side of momentum.
Blaze Alexander did the heavy lifting—four RBIs on a bases-clearing double and a solo shot—and the D-backs never looked back.
The night flipped early. With traffic on the bases in the first, Blaze Alexander ripped a bases-clearing double to put Arizona up 3-0 before many had found their seats. Colorado’s lone answer came on rookie Kyle Karros’s RBI single in his MLB debut, but the D-backs never let the game breathe for the visitors. Alexander answered again in the fourth with a solo homer, and Carroll’s two-run blast in the fifth made it 6-1—game, set, and an easy stroll for the pitching staff. The offense didn’t just slug; it strung innings together and forced the Rockies to play from behind all night.
Alexander’s four-RBI outburst is one of his best nights of the season, and it’s the kind of performance that changes how opposing teams game-plan the bottom half of Arizona’s order. When the utility infielder is impacting the ball like this, it lengthens the lineup and gives Torey Lovullo flexibility—pinch-hitting late, mixing and matching, and keeping pressure on pitchers who can’t just pitch around the stars. It’s also a reminder that this club’s ceiling looks different when the complementary bats are driving runs, not just setting the table.
Carroll’s 24th homer wasn’t just loud; it felt inevitable. When he’s lifting like this, the D-backs’ offense becomes a two-headed problem: You can’t pitch around him if Alexander, and others, are punishing mistakes. Carroll’s combination of power and pressure keeps innings alive and turns manageable frames into crooked numbers—exactly what happened in the fifth.
Quality start, quality vibe. Gallen delivered six innings of one-run ball on four hits with six strikeouts to earn win No. 9 (9-12). He worked efficiently, trusted his defense, and handed off a comfortable lead. With the bullpen in flux (more on that below), outings like this are gold—shortening the game and keeping leverage clean for the back end.
The biggest roster news of the week came Wednesday: Kevin Ginkel was transferred to the 60-day IL with a right shoulder sprain after landing on the 15-day on August 4. To reset the relief depth, the club optioned LHP Kyle Nelson to Triple-A Reno and selected RHP Casey Kelly from Reno. The net effect: Arizona loses a leverage arm but gains some innings protection and flexibility. Until Ginkel is back, expect Lovullo to mix-and-match late, leaning on whoever’s freshest and throwing the best on a given night. Kelly gives the staff coverage for multi-inning spots, which matters on bullpen days or if a starter exits early.
Beyond Kelly’s selection and Nelson’s option on August 6, there were no additional promotions or demotions reported on August 9. It’s a steady-as-she-goes moment for the pipeline, with the big-league club absorbing the most recent changes.
Arizona is 55-61 and, more importantly, playing cleaner baseball. The recipe tonight—jump early, get a quality start, and keep adding on—travels. String together series wins and .500 stops being a distant target and starts feeling attainable. With Gallen reestablishing rhythm, Carroll punishing mistakes, and a role player like Alexander cashing in traffic, there’s a blueprint here that doesn’t rely on perfection—just repetition.
The series continues Sunday at Chase Field with a chance to pocket the set against Colorado. Keep an eye on the bottom third of the order—if they continue producing, Carroll and the top half will see pitches to drive. And with the bullpen reconfigured, newcomer Casey Kelly could be in play for innings if the game calls for length. Bank the win, take the series, and make the homestand matter—that’s the mission.
This was the blueprint kind of night—impact swings from Alexander and Carroll, a steady hand from Gallen, and a comfortable glide path to the finish. Stack a few more like it and the conversation around this team shifts quickly. Sunday’s about momentum and margin: win the series, inch closer to .500, and keep the heat on as August starts to tilt toward the stretch run.
