Diamondbacks beat Rockies 7-2, send Colorado to its 4th straight season of 100 or more losses

DENVER (AP) — Nolan Arenado had his team-leading 28th homer of the season among his three hits, Michael Soroka struck out nine in seven innings of one-run ball and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Colorado 7-2 Tuesday night, sending the Rockies to their 100th loss of the season.

The victory kept the Diamondbacks four games behind Philadelphia in the race for the third and final NL wild-card spot with five regular-season games remaining for both teams.

The Rockies’ loss made Colorado the first franchise to lose at least 100 games in four consecutive seasons since the New York Mets from 1962-65.

Arenado, a four-time All-Star in his time with Colorado, extended his on-base streak to 16 games. During that stretch, he is batting .379 with seven homers and 14 RBIs.

Gabriel Moreno drove in two runs, giving him 10 RBIs in Arizona’s past 16 games. Geraldo Perdomo added three hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks.

In four starts against the Rockies this season, Soroka (9-5) has allowed just four earned runs in 23 innings, with 23 strikeouts and six walks.

Kyle Freeland (4-11) took the loss for Colorado, allowing five earned runs in three innings. The Denver native made his final home start of the season for Colorado, where he has played his entire 10-year MLB career.

Mickey Moniak and Connor Norby drove in Colorado's runs. Moniak hit his 23rd home run of the season. TJ Rumfield and Jake McCarthy failed to record a hit or walk. The two entered the game with the longest active on-base streaks in the majors, with Rumfield at 24 games and McCarthy at 22.

Arizona RHP Merrill Kelly (9-14, 5.00 ERA) will take on Colorado RHP Mason Adams (0-1, 5.09) on Wednesday in the second game of a three-game series.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Colorado Rockies' Mickey Moniak heads up the first-base line after connecting for a solo home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland works against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Michael Soroka works against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas scores on a double hit by Gabriel Moreno off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado watches his solo home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Zach Agnos in the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Polo grew into one of the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades on Tuesday, and it was expected to skirt Mexico’s southwestern coast as a Category 5 hurricane.

Polo was an “extremely dangerous” storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (265 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an update from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that was sent into the cyclone.

It was the third Category 5 hurricane of the Pacific season, following Genevieve and Lowell earlier this year. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, reflecting that a storm has maximum sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (253 kph).

Polo was centered 210 miles (338 kilometers) south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and nearly stationary over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday night. The hurricane center said Polo was expected to start a slow but sharp turn northwest during the night and then travel in a generally west-northwestward direction over the next several days.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing that experts had indicated that the hurricane was not likely to touch land. Still, the NHC said hurricane-force winds are happening up to 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the storm's center and tropical storm-force winds up to 105 miles (169 kilometers) away.

The hurricane set residents along Mexico's Pacific coast on edge once again after being walloped by powerful cyclones a number of times in recent years. Beaches emptied out and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes Tuesday in a number of areas. Mexico’s navy shut down ports in the states of Guerrero and Michoacán and warned civilians and fishermen to take care.

Concepción López Villegas was busily preparing her seaside restaurant for what may come. Strong waves were already lapping at the coastline of her city Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán. As men and children watched the stirring waters behind her, López Villegas said she feared powerful waves would destroy the small business she has worked decades to build.

“We're worried and trying to protect our businesses,” López Villegas said. “And of course, we're sad because it's our heritage, our legacy that from one moment to another could be destroyed.”

National Hurricane Center data shows that Polo has reached speeds comparable to only a few hurricanes to form in the region in recent decades, primarily Hurricane Patricia, which reached 215 mph (346 kph) in 2015.

“This is one of the strongest storms ever in the (Pacific) Basin,” said Kristen L. Corbosiero, professor at the University at Albany’s Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences.

The NHC warned that tropical storm conditions were expected along the Pacific coast in Guerrero, Michoacan and Colima states.

Heavy rain could produce flash flooding and mudslides. About 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain was forecast for Guerrero and Michoacán states, with smaller amounts possible for coastal portions of Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco states.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a weather alert, instructing citizens to avoid water and beaches and to heed warnings from Mexican authorities.

“Even if the storm does not make direct landfall, heavy rain may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Hazardous ocean conditions—intensified by storms—may result in deadly rip currents and rogue waves,” the embassy wrote in a statement.

The rapid intensification of the storm has stunned scientists and authorities alike, with the NHC writing in a report that it was “truly remarkable” how quickly Polo gained strength in the past 24 hours.

Philip Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, attributed the intensification to the weather phenomenon known as El Niño, which has fueled crippling droughts in Mexico and Central America and floods in other parts of the region.

In the Pacific, it has resulted in warmer waters and wind patterns that act as fodder for hurricanes, he said.

“There are all the ingredients that hurricanes need to get really strong really fast,” Klotzbach said.

For many on the Pacific coast, Polo brought back harsh memories of devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023, which tore through nearby port city Acapulco. The destruction and dozens of people killed by the storm were attributed, in part, to the rapid intensification of the hurricane because it gave residents little time to brace themselves, pull their boats onto shore or evacuate.

Tropical Storm Odalys was also in the Pacific Ocean but far from land. The cyclone could become a hurricane sometime Tuesday, the hurricane center said. Odalys had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph).

In the Atlantic Ocean, Fay weakened to a remnant. Maximum sustained winds were down to 35 mph (56 kph) Tuesday and the system was far southwest of the Azores.

No Atlantic hurricanes have formed yet this year, and this year has set a record for the longest start to a season without a hurricane. The effects of this year’s El Niño crush storms before they get going.

Brooks reported from Atlanta.

This photo provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo strengthening in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Fay, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Odalys, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This photo provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo intensifying in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (NOAA via AP)