Shaw's struggles continue as Rockies fall late

DENVER -- Bryan Shaw entered Saturday's game with a one-run lead. He left with a five-run deficit and boos raining down from Coors Field.
Shaw committed two errors on one play to let one run score. Then he gave up five more runs -- all unearned, but a direct result of his miscues -- as the Rockies lost their sixth straight game at home, 12-7 to the D-backs.
With the loss, Colorado dropped to .500 (32-32) for time since April 30 and is 2 1/2 games behind the National League West-leading D-backs. After homering in the series opener on Friday, shortstop Trevor Story hit two more home runs and had four RBIs.
After allowing a leadoff single, Shaw fumbled a soft grounder from Ketel Marte in front of the mound in a rush to start a double play. He then overthrew first baseman Ian Desmond, which allowed John Ryan Murphy to score the tying run from first.

The meltdown continued.
With one out, Shaw intentionally walked Paul Goldschmidt -- who launched home runs off of starting pitcher Chad Bettis in the first and fourth innings -- and Arizona took a lead on a Jake Lamb RBI single, and two batters later, David Peralta drove in two. Shaw then walked Jarrod Dyson and gave up a two-run double to Nick Ahmed, which ended his night.
"The hits were whatever. It was the error," said Shaw, who pitched the eighth because Scott Oberg was unavailable due to a back injury. "I field that, turn out a double play, strike out the next guy, inning's over. Nothing else happens. Obviously, [I got] the ball rolling."

After Goldschmidt's 450-foot homer in the first, Story won a nine-pitch battle against D-backs starter Matt Koch with a 459-foot shot to straightaway center field, the second longest homer of his career. Story did it again in his next at-bat and gave the Rockies a 4-2 lead in the third inning.
"I felt good there in the last month [of last season] and truly took that into the offseason," said Story, who also homered in Friday's series opener. "I wanted to feel that. Just the way I'm moving my body, being in control of myself, having my approach to where I'm looking for a certain pitch. If I'm in the right spot, I'm not going to miss it."
The Rockies strung together some hits in the fourth inning to tie the game, and DJ LeMahieu gave the Rox a 7-5 lead with a two-run home run.
"When it's this hot in Denver, the ball carries pretty well," LeMahieu said. "I don't know if it's a race to get to the batter's box or not, but offensively, we continue to have good at-bats, not giving up outs and continuing to have good innings."

Bettis didn't have the greatest of starts, allowing five runs on five hits in four innings. With two Goldschmidt home runs and Ahmed's in the second, the Rockies have allowed an MLB-record three or more home runs in five consecutive home games.
"I felt like if either of those two pitches were executed, probably neither of those would have had the same outcome," Bettis said of Goldschmidt's two homers. "Unfortunately, they weren't and he hit them both out of the yard. I felt like we had a good game plan going into it. Really, those three pitches -- two to him and one to Ahmed -- was the downfall."
Brooks Pounders got through the top of the ninth without allowing a D-backs run, but he hit Goldschmidt on the hip with two outs and nobody on -- much to the displeasure of Arizona.
"It's our guy," D-backs reliever Archie Bradley said. "He's hit two homers. It was just kind of bush league, in my opinion. Even if you are setting up inside, you're a big league pitcher, a big league catcher, you kind of know the intent of what you're doing. Just not happy about it."
The Rockies continue to struggle through the back half of games with the bullpen leading the charge. Black and the players still have confidence, though, in the pitching staff, even through the six-game home losing streak.
With 13 hits from the D-backs -- eight of which came against the Colorado bullpen -- the Rockies have allowed 10 or more hits in 11 consecutive games since May 28. It's the longest streak in the Majors since Seattle's 11-game streak in 2008, and the longest streak in the National League West since the Dodgers had a 12-game streak in 2006.
"I don't think anyone really has the answer," LeMahieu said. "Just keep grinding. I believe in those guys. I believe in our bullpen. Pitchers, really, the first couple of months were carrying us. It's just a tough stretch. I know how we're playing right now is not a good representation of the kind of team we are."

SOUND SMART
Story is now averaging 420 feet per home run this season, per Statcast™, which leads the Majors. Story entered Saturday at 417, which was the highest for any right-handed batter (minimum 10 homers) and tied with the Brewers' Travis Shaw for second-highest. Story overtakes Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland, whose clouts average 419 feet. More >

UNDERSTUDY STEPS IN
Carlos González was originally in the lineup but was scratched with back spasms, and is doubtful for Sunday's series finale. However, right-handed-hitting rookie Noel Cuevas got the start in right field and went 2-for-3 for his fifth multi-hit game.
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The Rockies led, 7-5, in the fifth, and after his third hit -- a one-put single, Story attempted to steal second with Gerardo Parra batting. He was originally ruled safe by second-base umpire Jerry Meals chief. But the call was overturned after a D-backs challenge, and the Rockies did not score another run.

UP NEXT
Lefty Kyle Freeland hopes to extend his home success when he faces the D-backs and righty Zack Godley on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. MT. Freeland is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA with 17 strikeouts and six walks in his last three home starts.