Soroka Silences Rockies as Diamondbacks Cruise to Win in Colorado
Michael Soroka was in complete control on Wednesday.
The Arizona right-hander turned in a dominant outing, racking up 58.5 fantasy points and steering the Diamondbacks to a 7-2 win over the Rockies. The Diamondbacks jumped on Colorado early and never let up, with Soroka setting the tone from the mound.
This one never felt particularly competitive. The Diamondbacks jumped on Colorado early and let their lineup do the rest of the damage, backing Soroka with more than enough offense to cruise. For the Rockies, it's a fourth loss in their last five, a stretch that has now included lopsided defeats against Arizona and San Diego sandwiched around a series against Seattle.
Soroka was the story of the game. His 58.5 fantasy points were nearly double the next-best performer on either roster, a reflection of just how in control he was on the mound. When your starter is putting up a stat line that dwarfs everyone else in the ballpark, the rest of the night tends to take care of itself, and that's exactly how this one played out for Arizona.
He didn't do it alone. Nolan Arenado continues to be a driving force in the middle of Arizona's order, piling up 42.0 fantasy points in a game where his presence at third base and in the batter's box loomed large all night. Arenado is showing no signs of slowing down, and nights like this are a reminder of why Arizona's lineup can be so difficult to deal with once Soroka has the Rockies on their heels.
Geraldo Perdomo chipped in 23.0 fantasy points from the shortstop spot, continuing to establish himself as a steady, productive presence up the middle for Arizona. Ildemaro Vargas and Gabriel Moreno each added 20.0 fantasy points, giving the Diamondbacks contributions from all over the diamond. Tim Tawa, the Stanford product, added 16.5 points of his own, while Corbin Carroll and Jordan Lawlar rounded out the offensive attack with 11.5 and 11.0 points, respectively. When a team gets that kind of balanced production up and down the lineup, it's easy to see how a final score gets stretched to something like 7-2.
Colorado wasn't without bright spots, even in defeat. Mickey Moniak, at 28, was the best player on the field for the Rockies, posting 25.0 fantasy points out of the leadoff spot in left field. It was a strong individual showing, but it came in a losing effort, and that's been the story for Colorado too often lately — solid performances from individual players getting buried under lopsided final scores. Troy Johnston added 14.5 points in right field, and Zach Agnos was effective out of the bullpen with 8.5 points, but the Rockies simply couldn't generate enough consistent offense to keep pace with an Arizona lineup that was clicking on all cylinders. Cole Carrigg and Connor Norby each contributed 7.5 points, giving Colorado some modest depth, but it wasn't nearly enough to offset the deficit built up early.
For Arizona, the early-season identity is starting to take shape: get length and dominance from the rotation, let Arenado anchor the lineup, and pile up runs in bunches. If Soroka keeps pitching like this, the Diamondbacks are going to be a tough out all year, and this game against Colorado is a small but telling data point.
For the Rockies, there's real work to do. Dropping four of five, with the losses coming by lopsided margins against both Arizona and San Diego, is not the start they wanted. Moniak's individual performance offers something to build on, but Colorado will need more from up and down its lineup if it wants to avoid an early hole this season.
For fans tracking performances like Soroka's monster night or Arenado's continued production, building a lineup around those kinds of standout stat lines is exactly the fun of playing on JockBroker.
