The Mets got a late-night treat in Denver.
Brenton Doyle scored the winning run on a ninth-inning throwing error, and Colorado dealt a blow to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ playoff chances with a 3-2 win Monday night in a game that marked the return of Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela from Tommy John surgery.
Doyle singled off Ryan Thompson (7-5) leading off the ninth and stole second.
Ryan McMahon was intentionally walked, Brendan Rodgers hit a grounder to Ketel Marte, and the second baseman flipped the ball to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo for a force out. But Perdomo’s throw to first trying for a double play was wide of Christian Walker as Doyle scored.
“He just yanked his throw off the line,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It would have been a big double play.”
Marte hit a two-run homer for the defending NL champion Diamondbacks (83-67), who are in the second NL wild-card position, one game ahead of the Mets and two in front of Atlanta.
It turned into a good night for the Mets, who rallied to beat the Nationals 2-1 in 10 innings on Starling Marte’s walk-off hit.
The Braves were blanked 9-0 by the Dodgers at home to move the Mets one game ahead of Atlanta for the third and final wild-card spot.
“I was watching. I definitely was,” Mets starter Sean Manaea, who threw seven solid innings, said of the scoreboard with Arizona, Atlanta and the Mets separated by two games with 12 to go.
Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman homered for the Rockies, who beat the Diamondbacks for only the third time in 11 meetings this season.
“Pitching won for us today, and we had great performances from the bullpen,” Tovar said through an interpreter.
Seth Halvorsen (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory.
Senzatela, a 29-year-old right-hander, allowed two runs and four hits in three-plus innings with two strikeouts and two walks. He threw 42 of 67 pitches for strikes and averaged 95 mph with 39 fastballs. He also threw 15 sliders, eight changeups and five curveballs,
Senzatela’s 2022 season was cut short when he tore his left ACL on Aug. 18 during a game at St. Louis when he took a bad step rushing to cover first base on an infield grounder.
He returned last year and pitched on May 5 and 10, leaving the second start with a strained right elbow. He later was diagnosed with a torn UCL and had Tommy John surgery on July 26.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody who supported me during this long year, my teammates, my family, my trainers, my coaches,” Senzatela said. “It didn’t start very well, but it is what it is. I tried to to keep the game there for the team and at the end of the day we got a win and that’s all that matters.”
Corbin Carroll tripled leading off and Marte followed with his 32nd homer, a drive to straightaway center.
Arizona’s Merrill Kelly gave up one run and two hits in six innings, allowing Tovar’s 24th homer leading off the fourth.
Goodman tied the score in the seventh against Kevin Ginkel with his 12th homer.
“It’s frustrating, extremely frustrating, especially coming off the game yesterday where we had a lead and then gave up some costly runs,” Ginkel said. “With the Goodman at-bat, it was a slider. I think he was anticipating it. It wasn’t my best slider I’ve thrown, but it wasn’t horrible. I was not expecting that to be a home run. I was expecting maybe a double, if anything. So that part of it was extremely frustrating and allowed them to tie the game.”
— With AP