A step back from starting pitcher Austin Gomber slowed the Rockies’ momentum as the club looks to avoid a second consecutive 100-loss season.

The Rockies entered Wednesday’s matinee, a 9-4 loss to the Diamondbacks at Coors Field, after winning five of their last six games, including the first two of the three-game series against Arizona. That streak included Gomber’s quality start against the Cubs on Friday when he scattered two runs across six innings. Prior to the Chicago game, Gomber limited the Braves to one run in eight innings Sept. 5.

Gomber failed to post a third consecutive quality start Wednesday. The 30-year-old lefty recorded one out before Corbin Carroll smashed as fastball an estimated 438 feet off the second deck in right-center field. A Randal Grichuk double and Christian Walker’s single plated a second Arizona run before Gomber recorded a second out. Gabriel Moreno drove in a third run before Gomber got out of the first inning.

“I just didn’t make good pitches. Pretty simple,” Gomber conceded in the postgame locker room.

“A lot of pitches in the middle of the plate. A really good team is going to take advantage of that.”

The Diamondbacks took another bite out of Gomber and his lack of command in the second. A pitch after Carroll lined his second homer of the afternoon, a two-run shot to right, Grichuk took the first pitch of his at bat over the center-field wall. The back-to-back homers made it 6-0.

“Just some elevated pitches,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.

“Too many pitches up. From my eye, his stuff was just not crisp.”

Colorado didn’t have a runner reach base until Sam Hillard beat the shift with a single down the third-base line to start the bottom of the third. Hillard came around to score on Ezequiel Tovar’s two-run single later in the frame. A couple of innings later, Hillard threw a strike from left field for the final out of the top of the fifth, keeping it a four-run game, and he brought in Colorado’s final two runs with a single to center in the bottom of the ninth.

“Sam’s reemerged and really put together a pretty nice year,” Black said. “

“Every player wants to – when they get an opportunity to still prove to the baseball world that they’re a player, and that’s where Sam is right now. It’s really good to see.”

The Rockies’ bullpen strung together six scoreless innings before Arizona added its final three runs in the ninth. Colorado’s quest to avoid another 100-loss campaign continues this weekend in Los Angeles before a six-game homestand to end the season. Gomber plans on getting one more opportunity to bounce back before the offseason.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating,” Gomber said. “I feel like I’ve had a couple of these this year that feel like you’re throwing the ball really well for an extended period of time. Then, you have a really bad clunker, but I’ve gotten by it before, and I’ll continue to get by it again. I think I have one more start left, so the goal is just to try to finish strong.”

DIAMONDBACKS 9, ROCKIES 4

What happened: Arizona avoided a three-game sweep by scoring six runs in the first two innings. The Rockies, already eliminated from playoff contention, dropped to 59-94. Colorado has nine games remaining.

On the mound: Gomber gave up three home runs in the first two innings and was replaced by Jeff Criswell in the third inning. Gomber’s final line showed six runs, five of which were earned on six hits in the losing effort. Criswell, Victor Vodnik and Anthony Molina enjoyed scoreless relief outings before the Diamondbacks got to Tyler Kinley in the ninth for their final three runs. Eduardo Rodriguez got the win, limiting the Rockies to two runs over 6.1 innings.

At the plate: Sam Hilliard went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in for the Rockies. Ezequiel Tovar drove in Colorado’s other two runs, while Aaron Schunk was the only other Rockies player with multiple hits. Carroll was the offensive star for the Diamondbacks, and Arizona finished 12 hits to Colorado’s eight.

Up next: The Rockies head to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers that starts at 8:10 p.m. Friday.