Colorado Rockies snap eight-game skid, edge Braves 2-1 thanks to Doyle's homer, standing at 5-25.
🔥 Rockies Snatch First Win since Ages!
📍 Denver (Our News) - The Colorado Rockies ended an agonizing eight-game losing streak in a nail-biting 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves last night.
The Rockies were on a disastrous streak, losing 16 out of 17 games. Their dismal 5-25 record had them edging perilously close to joining the infamous 1988 Baltimore Orioles, the only team since 1901 to lose at least 26 of their first 30 games.
Brenton Doyle turned the tide with a game-tying home run against Chris Sale, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, in the third inning. Doyle, who was mired in a 0-for-20 skid, smashed a 421-foot blast to left-center field, ending his slump in style.
Rookie pitcher Chase Dollander, the Rockies' ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft, shone on the mound, allowing one run, two hits, and three walks across five and two-thirds innings. He struck out four and impressively clinched his second win. Despite a broken nail, Dollander showed his grit until he was forced to leave.
The bullpen stepped up, with Jake Bird, Seth Halvorsen, and Zach Agnos combining for a three-hit shutout. Agnos sealed the deal with a perfect final three outs, securing his maiden major league save. Bird's dominant performance included striking out two batters and now boasts 24 Ks in just 17 and two-thirds innings.
Yet, the Rockies' pitchers continued their struggles, giving up 14 hits in the first two games of the series.
Ryan McMahon struggled at the plate, going 0-for-3 and extending his team-record hitless streak to an gut-wrenching 0-for-34. McMahon, who last managed two hits on June 30, now has just two hits in his last 58 at-bats.
Sale was impressive, striking out 10 (his second-highest total) and not issuing a single walk, conceding two runs and five hits. The Braves had won an impressive 9 out of their last 11 games before facing the resilient Rockies.
The Colorado Rockies' average of wins this season was drastically low, with their 5-25 record being reminiscent of the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, who also struggled mightily at the start of a season. However, Dollander's impressive performance as an MLB rookie in the crucial game against the Atlanta Braves, culminating in Agnos' maiden major league save, brought their win count to 2, averaging one win per series play so far.
