DENVER (AP) — Brenton Doyle broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run double in the Colorado Rockies’ 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
Doyle finished with three hits, the tiebreaking double coming off reliever John Schreiber (3-3). Michael Toglia had a solo home run for Colorado that weathered a replay review.
“I knew the guy had a good sinker and sweeper, so I wanted to get something up in the zone,” Doyle said. “I took the first ball and was going to be pretty aggressive with the next pitch, just wanted it up in the zone, and I got it.”
The winning double was Doyle’s seventh extra-base hit in his last four games, the most by a Colorado player in a four-game span since Charlie Blackmon also had seven from June 13-16, 2019. Doyle’s batting average stands at .274, 71 points higher than his average at the end of last year, his first full season in the majors.
“When you’re producing, putting good swings on the baseball and finding barrels, you know this game can be a lot more fun and confidence can also raise with that. I’m in a good spot,” said Doyle, who worked hard in the offseason fine-tuning his swing.
Salvador Perez had an RBI single and Freddy Fermin added three hits, including a single off Jalen Beeks leading off the ninth inning. Nick Loftin followed with a single before Beeks retired the next three batters for his eighth save. Victor Vodnik (2-1) worked a scoreless inning in relief for the victory.
The Royals went up 1-0 in the first inning when Bobby Witt Jr. doubled and scored an out later on a single by Perez.
Toglia connected on a 2-2 offering from Cole Ragans in the third inning, sending it the opposite way and just barely over the fence in left. Left fielder Dairon Blanco made a leaping attempt at the wall, his glove appearing to make glancing contact with the cupped hands of a fan who also tried to catch the ball. The ball dropped into the first row of the bleachers. The replay review upheld the home run call, ruling there was no conclusive evidence the spectator had interfered with Blanco in the field of play.
Toglia was relieved by the decision.
“I would have been pretty upset, like very upset actually,” Toglia said. “Because it’s not easy. But every one counts and I’m glad that one went my way.”
Ragans, though, had a replay review on a homer go against him for the second straight start. He also saw a home run call upheld in his last start against Cleveland when replay review could not determine whether a ball struck a metal support for netting before appearing to hit off the foul pole.
“At the end of the day, you just got to move on,” Ragans said. “It’s early in the game. It’s a 1-1 tie. ... It’s out of my hands. Nothing that I can do about it. Just got to move on and keep executing.”
The Royals moved in front on an unearned run in the fourth inning, and the Rockies tied it at 2 in the sixth on Elias Díaz’s RBI single.
Both starters turned in solid performances, with Ragans going seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out eight but had four wild pitches, the most in a game by a pitcher this season. Colorado’s Kyle Freeland also went seven innings and allowed two runs — one earned — on seven hits.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies RHP Germán Márquez is getting closer to returning from reconstructive elbow surgery. Márquez threw 69 pitches for Double-A Hartford on Thursday in his second rehab start, striking out two and walking one. He reached 99 mph with his fastball. “He came out of that fine,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s healthy. He feels good.” Márquez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023, is expected to have one more rehab start Tuesday with Hartford and could rejoin the Rockies during their seven-game road trip next week that leads up to the All-Star break July 15-18.
UP NEXT
Kansas City RHP Seth Lugo (11-2, 2.17 ERA), who’s tied for the major league lead in wins, was scheduled to start Saturday against LHP Austin Gomber (1-5, 4.72 ERA).
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