Dynamic catching duo of Díaz, Stallings leads Rox to series win

DENVER -- Elias Díaz made the first All-Star trip for a Rockies catcher -- an MVP performance, at that -- and set a club record with 126 games behind the dish in 2023.

As much as he gave the club, the Rockies gave him something he needed: help from an old friend, former Pirates teammate Jacob Stallings.

Díaz and Stallings form an uncommonly strong and experienced catching duo for a club that’s stumbled through the early going. But the pair were key figures in Saturday night’s 8-3 victory over the Rangers, which gave the Rockies their first series win of the season.

Díaz is batting .320 this year. Stallings, who won a Gold Glove with the Pirates in 2021 and signed with the Rockies after playing for the Marlins the last two seasons, is hitting .326 in limited playing time. The Rockies can use both, as they did Saturday with Díaz serving as the designated hitter.

Díaz’s second hit of the game, an RBI single off David Robertson to drive in Ryan McMahon (who tied a career high with four hits), broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh. Three batters later, Stallings shook off three strikeouts and greeted Cole Winn with a bases-loaded, two-run single in the six-run inning.

After the catchers’ hits, Charlie Blackmon, whose two-run double Friday night gave the Rockies a 4-2 victory over the defending World Series champion Rangers, added a two-run double as a pinch-hitter. Blackmon moved into a tie with Hall of Famer Larry Walker for second in Rockies history with 599 extra-base hits. Hall of Famer Todd Helton had 998.

The Rockies (11-28) would like for their plans to work sooner than later, but it’s hard to argue what they’ve got behind the plate. Díaz has caught in 27 games with 25 starts, and DHed eight times. Stallings has caught 16 times with 14 starts.

“He’s always been a beast and he’s been a beast this year, but the only thing that kept his numbers from being better at the end of last year was he just got a little worn down,” said Stallings, who was a teammate of Díaz in the Minors and early in their Major League careers with Pittsburgh. “Anything I can do to take some games off his plate and keep him fresh is an added bonus.”

The catching helps.

On Saturday, Ryan Feltner held the Rangers to two runs in six innings for his third quality start of the season. Cal Quantrill has five and Austin Gomber three -- encouraging numbers for a staff missing Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela because of injuries. Strong, confident catching helps. But with Rockies No. 9 prospect Drew Romo, 22, off to a strong start at Triple-A Albuquerque, the Rockies may look to trade a vet to break in Romo.

For now, Díaz, at the end of a three-year contract, and Stallings, on a one-year deal with a mutual option, are needed.

Saturday, it was fitting that Rockies bench coach and former MLB catcher Mike Redmond managed for much of the game. Manager Bud Black was ejected at the end of the fifth for arguing that he should have been granted a replay review of a call at second base.

Redmond likes the way the catchers are using their experience while trying to grow at the same time.

“There’s so much that goes in -- maybe even more now with the catching, framing, trying to steal strikes,” Redmond said. “Put on top of that game-calling, prep, blocking, throwing. And then you’ve got to go out and get some hits to keep yourself happy.”

Díaz’s tie-breaking hit highlighted an area he has improved, even after a career year last year.

An aggressive swinger, Díaz can take wild, slump-inducing swings. But Díaz’s work on arresting bat habits quickly has led to him correcting himself not just during games, but even during at-bats.

“When that happens, I say, ‘Hey, calm down. … Just relax. … See the pitch …’ something that brings me back,” Díaz said recently.

On Saturday, he had to calm down for a different reason.

Robertson, dealing with a wet baseball during late-inning rain, nearly hit Díaz with a 92.7 mph cutter. With a startled hitter, Robertson relied on his knuckle curveball and worked the count full without Díaz swinging the bat. But, having calmed his nerves, Díaz lashed a slider for the go-ahead hit.

“We have to learn how to make adjustments right away,” Díaz said.