Díaz's HR in 9th gives Rox 12th walk-off win

DENVER -- Rockies catcher Elias Díaz has become a walk-off specialist for a team that does this seemingly all the time.

Díaz extended the Rockies' win streak to a season-high-tying five games on Saturday night by capping a 10-pitch at-bat against J.B. Wendelken with a game-ending, three-run homer in the ninth inning for a 5-2 victory over the D-backs at Coors Field.

• Box score

The Rockies extended their Majors-leading and club-record walk-off total to 12. Díaz now has three walk-off hits, two of them home runs. But his matchup with Wendelken started with Díaz taking a seemingly wild swing at a slider off the plate.

“I went into that at-bat wanting to be aggressive -- I wanted to end the game,” Díaz said through an interpreter.

Every other time Díaz swung, he made contact. The ball went foul six times. Finally, he crushed a 2-2 slider to fulfill his own premonition that came after Garrett Hampson had tied the game at 2 in the eighth with a two-run, pinch-hit homer off right-hander Noé Ramirez.

“If we’re going into the ninth in a tie ballgame, I feel like we've got a really good chance to win that game,” said Díaz, who hit the Rockies' seventh walk-off homer of the season to match the 2010 club's franchise record. “And it shows.”

It’s all part of the seemingly invincible feeling the Rockies have at Coors Field, where they are 43-21 this season and where special stuff consistently happens.

But maybe the Rockies can look beyond the home performance -- their 14-45 road mark has them in fourth place in the National League West -- and believe something special could happen in a future season. After a tough start to the year, Colorado is 38-32 since May 30 and 17-15 since the All-Star break.

Players like Díaz are having seasons that mirror that of the club. Díaz was hitting .125 at the end of May while splitting time with rookie Dom Nuñez, another strong catcher who is a step behind Díaz in gaining comfort as a hitter. Since June 1, Díaz is hitting .283 and has hit 12 of his 13 home runs. He is one of several players whom manager Bud Black expressed confidence in through the team’s slow start.

“I'm not surprised, because the fundamental skill set is there, on both sides of the ball,” Black said. “He's got a cannon [for a throwing arm]. He blocks. He’s got good hands. He receives. He knows our pitching staff. He knows our pitching coaches. He knows me. He knows [bench coach Mike Redmond].

“Offensively, this guy is strong. I mean, he's a brute.”

Saturday's victory could be interpreted as a reward for patience. For example:

• Left-hander Kyle Freeland held Arizona to two runs in seven innings and struck out a career high-tying 10. He left with Colorado down, 2-0, and continues to get little run support. But the Rockies stuck with Freeland after he missed a month-plus with a left shoulder injury, then pitched to a 9.58 ERA through his first five starts.

• The Rockies’ decision to go mostly young in the bullpen led to some tough early times. But after getting scoreless eighth and ninth innings from Tyler Kinley and Daniel Bard, respectively, Colorado's relievers have a 3.49 ERA over the past 16 games. The Rox are 19-8 when the bullpen doesn’t give up a run and 29-25 when it allows no more than one run.

• Hampson belted a two-run homer for the second straight night and is 5-for-8 over his past three games. Before that stretch, he had gone 6-for-51 (.118) over his previous 23 games as his playing time became irregular.

Díaz serves as an example of the confidence that increases through repeated chances -- and growing success.

“I feel good in those situations -- you want to be a part of that as much as possible,” Díaz said. “And when you get the opportunity and use it to come through for the team, it just gives you an extra feeling of confidence and excitement."