MICHAEL KELLY
Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Eddie Butler waited three months for his second big league start.
He made sure it was worth it.
Butler pitched six solid innings for his first major league win and the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Saturday.
Butler (1-1) made his debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 6 and went on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation the next day. He made nine minor league rehab starts before getting the ball Saturday.
“I wasn’t quite as anxious. Definitely a good outing,” Butler said. “Go six innings and give the team a chance to win.”
He made the most of his second start, allowing one run and five hits and giving the Rockies a glimpse into the future. Butler was Colorado’s first-round pick in 2012 and has quickly moved through the organization.
He allowed six runs and 10 hits in 5 1-3 innings against L.A., but held Arizona in check before leaving for a pinch hitter.
“Good start for Eddie. Nice bounce back,” manager Walt Weiss said. “One start, missing a lot of time, going out there today and put us in a position to win a game.”
Corey Dickerson and Josh Rutledge homered for the Rockies, who have won five straight for the first time since June 11-15.
Jake Lamb homered for the reeling Diamondbacks. Arizona has dropped five in a row and 12 of 15 to fall into last place in the NL West, two games behind Colorado.
“We were 0 for 11 today, so that’s 1 for 20 the last two days with runners in scoring position,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. “We’re really struggling in that respect.”
Trevor Cahill (3-12) allowed five runs and 10 hits in five innings. He hasn’t won since beating Miami on Aug. 15.
Dickerson gave Colorado a 1-0 lead with an RBI triple in the second. The Rockies extended the lead to 4-0 in the third on Rutledge’s two-run homer and Ben Paulsen’s RBI single.
“I was trying to steal a strike,” Cahill said of Rutledge’s home run. “I didn’t think it was that bad of a pitch. He put a good swing on it.”
Lamb homered on a line drive to right in the fifth to make it 4-1, but Dickerson answered with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning. It was his 24th of the season.
Dickerson was halfway to a cycle, but he said it wasn’t on his mind.
“No, because I didn’t think I’d get two more at-bats,” he said.
Butler’s only lament was two at-bats against David Peralta — a leadoff walk in the fourth and a leadoff single in the sixth.
“I was a little disappointed in myself I went 3-0 on two guys after we scored a run,” Butler said. “You really need that shutdown inning. That’s something I need to work on.”
Reliever Oliver Perez recorded four strikeouts in the seventh inning after Justin Morneau reached on a wild pitch to start the inning. He is the first pitcher in Diamondbacks history to strike out four in one inning.
GRAND FINALE
Rockies RHP LaTroy Hawkins made his 997th appearance Saturday. Weiss said before the game he will make sure his closer hits 1,000 before the end of the season. “That’s a safe bet,” he said. “He’ll get to a thousand.”
GOOD START
Diamondbacks LF Ender Inciarte, who singled to start the game, has led off eight of the past nine games with a hit — five singles and three doubles.
GOING DEEP
The Rockies have homered in 21 straight home games. It’s the longest such streak since a franchise-best 32 games from April 19-July 3, 1999.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Peralta was back in the lineup for the first time since Sept. 5. He had been sidelined with a lower back strain and pinch hit Friday night.
Rockies: OF Carlos Gonzalez shed his crutches this week, but is still walking carefully following surgery on his left knee Aug. 19. Gonzalez hopes to be at full strength when the team reports to spring training in February.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks: LHP Wade Miley (8-11) will try to reach 200 innings when he starts Sunday. He is eight innings shy of reaching the total for the second straight season. He also needs 11 strikeouts to reach 500 for his career.
Rockies: Rookie RHP Christian Bergman (2-4) no-hit Arizona for 4 2-3 innings on Aug. 29 in his only other start against the Diamondbacks.
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