Nolan Arenado's error costly in Rockies' 8-1 loss toDiamondbacks

PHOENIX -- Strange, disturbing things happen to the Rockies when they venture into Chase Field.

Case in point: Nolan Arenado's crucial error Thursday night in Colorado's 8-1 loss to the ArizonaDiamondbacks.

In the sixth inning, with the score knotted 1-1, and with two outs and one on, Arenado, a two-timeNational League Gold Glove third baseman, muffed Aaron Hill's routine grounder.

Colorado starter Chris Rusin should have been out of danger. Instead, red-hot David Peralta smokeda two-run triple down the first-base line to put Arizona ahead 3-1.

"If I don't make that error, it stops that inning. Rusin pitched a great game and I wish I would havepicked him up," said a downcast Arenado, who also committed an error that scored an Arizona run inthe eighth inning.

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It was the second game this season in which Arenado committed two errors, the other coming on

June 14 in 4-1 loss at Miami.

Said manager Walt Weiss: "It was a tough loss tonight. We have seen Nolan make highlight plays allyear. But he's not perfect. There were a couple of miscues tonight ... very uncharacteristic."

Rusin, however, blamed himself for throwing a fastball that caught too much of the plate. Peraltaturned on the pitch for the game-changing hit.

"I tried to pick Nolan up, because he picks us up every day with the plays he makes," Rusin said. "Ijust didn't get (the fastball) up high enough. I was frustrated that I couldn't pick Nolan up in thatsituation and we ended up losing the game."

Things got completely out of hand in the seventh when Arizona scored four runs off ineffectivereliever Scott Oberg, who gave up a pair of two-run doubles, one by Yasmany Thomas, the other byHill.

"For Scotty, it really looked like the ball was moving out of the zone," Weiss said. "He had a hardtime commanding the fastball tonight. He got into some really tough counts and when he threw itover the plate, they didn't miss it."

The Rockies, 1-5 in their last six games, fell to 52-100 all-time at Chase Field. They were completelyineffective against Arizona starter Jeremy Hellickson, who needed only 87 pitches to get through hisseven innings. The Rockies managed only three hits off him, struck out six times and didn't draw awalk.

Before the game, Weiss praised his team's recent performance at the plate.

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"Until this last series (at Oakland), we were hitting well and leading the National League in virtuallyevery single offensive category," he said. "I think our offense is in a good place, but we didn'tperform very well in Oakland yesterday. Our execution wasn't very good."

Thursday night, their offense was almost nonexistent.

Rusin, meanwhile, was mostly terrific. Still, he came up empty. He allowed one earned run and sixhits over six innings. He struck out six and walked two. He notched his fifth quality start, and hasposted a 2.95 ERA over his last three games.

"Russ did a great job," Weiss said. "I thought he threw the ball really well."

The left-hander stifled Arizona through the first five innings, but A.J. Pollock drove a 1-0 pitch overthe left-center field wall to lead off the sixth. Rusin threw Pollack two consecutive curveballs andPollock jumped on the second one.

Looking ahead

Rockies' Kyle Kendrick (3-10, 6.07 ERA) at Diamondbacks' Chase Anderson (4-2, 3.66), 7:40 p.m.Friday, ROOT; 850 AM

The Rockies are 4-12 in Kendrick's 16 starts this year. In start No. 17, he returns to the scene ofperhaps his worst performance of the season -- eight runs and 10 hits allowed in 4 innings April 28at Chase Field in Colorado's 9-1 loss to the D-backs. Kendrick needs to keep the ball down. But hehas not done a good job of that, as illustrated by the 23 homers he's given up, most in the majors.Anderson has kept Arizona in games, going 3-1 with a 4.45 ERA in his past five starts. He is 2-1 witha 3.63 ERA in three career starts against the Rockies, the loss coming April 27 in Phoenix whenColorado prevailed 5-4.

Saturday: Rockies' David Hale (2-3, 5.95 ERA) at Diamondbacks' Allen Webster (1-1, 7.11), 8:10p.m., ROOT

Sunday: Rockies' Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 4.59) at Diamondbacks' Rubby De La Rosa (6-3, 4.60), 2:10p.m., ROOT

Monday: Off

Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp

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