Colorado Rockies snap 8-game skid, triumph over Sale and Atlanta Braves 2-1 thanks to Doyle's home run; record now 5-25.
Denver’s Colorado Rockies put an end to their 8-game losing streak, outclassing the Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Wednesday. Brenton Doyle smashed a game-changing homer off Chris Sale, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, in the third inning.
With just 5 wins and 25 losses, the Rockies narrowly avoided joining the 1988 Baltimore Orioles as the only teams since 1901 to lose 26 out of their first 30 games. Their recent run included losing 16 out of 17 games and being outscored by an alarming 78 runs.
Saddled with a 0-for-20 slump, Doyle annihilated an inside fastball with a 421-foot drive to left-center for his tie-breaking home run. He later doubled.
Rookie Chase Dollander, the Rockies' No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, managed an impressive outing, conceding only one run, two hits, and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, with four strikeouts. securing his second victory, Dollander made the fifth big league start of his career before exiting due to a cracked fingernail.
The game was concluded with a three-hitter, as Jake Bird, Seth Halvorsen, and Zach Agnos took the mound. Agnos closed the game, recording his first major league save. Bird struck out two in 1 1/3 innings, adding 24 strikeouts to his tally in just 17 2/3 innings.
The Rockies' pitchers had allowed 14 hits in both the first two games of the series earlier, making Wednesday's win all the more impressive.
Ryan McMahon went hitless for the third straight game, extending his hitless streak to an unfortunate team record 0 for 34, surpassing Desi Relaford's 2005 record. McMahon has managed only two hits in his last 58 at-bats.
Doyle’s solo home run in the third inning marked the end of a 20-consecutive at-bat hitless streak. Sale (1-3) performed admirably, striking out ten batters and walking none, allowing two runs and five hits. The Braves had won nine out of their previous 11 games.
Sean Bouchard put the Rockies on the board with an RBI groundout in the second, but Michael Harris countered with a run-scoring groundout in the third. A crucial moment arrived when Jake Bird struck out Ozzie Albies with runners on first and second, thwarting Atlanta's chance to rally for the remainder of the game.
Eli White of the Braves ended a streak of six consecutive games with at least one extra-base hit.
Next up:- Atlanta Braves: RHP Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.50) starts a homestand opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers and RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2 and a major league-best 1.06)- Colorado Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland (0-4, 5.93 ERA) starts against the San Francisco Giants, who will counter with RHP Justin Verlander (0-2, 4.99).
In the aftermath of their dramatic 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, the Colorado Rockies' media coverage will undoubtedly focus on Brenton Doyle's pivotal performance. Doyle, who had been struggling with a 0-for-20 slump, broke free from his funk with a game-changing homer and a subsequent double, proving his mettle in MLB sports, particularly baseball.
