Brenton Doyle’s star keeps getting brighter.
The Gold Glove center fielder delivered a bases-loaded, two-run double in the eighth inning to power the Rockies to a stirring 4-2 victory over Kansas City on Friday night at Coors Field. Doyle ripped John Schreiber’s 1-0 sinker into the right-field corner.
Doyle finished the game 3 for 4 and has gone 10-for-15 (.667) with four doubles and three home runs over four games on the current homestand. He raised his average to .274. He also made two splendid running catches in center.
“When you’re producing and putting good swings on baseballs and barrelling balls up, this game can be a lot more fun,” said Doyle, who hit .203 as a rookie last season and struck out 35% of the time, prompting him to overhaul his swing during the offseason.
Manager Bud Black is impressed not only by Doyle’s play this season but the center fielder’s passionate offseason work.
“I love to see players rewarded for hard work,” Black said. “This was an offseason with work ethic and commitment to changing some things in his swing. They have materialized into success. I love that.”
Doyle’s heroics came after Kyle Freeland delivered another gritty start.
Freeland did what he often does. The lefty took some punches but never crumpled, putting the Rockies in position to beat the Royals.
“It feels great,” Freeland said. “Everything I worked on during those two months (on the injured list) is paying off. I can see it on the field, which is really nice.
“Those two months, I was chomping at the bit to get back. I wanted to get back for my team. Now, here we are, three starts in and I feel really good.”
A prime example of Freeland’s came in the fifth inning. Maikel Garcia led off with a triple to left center but was stranded when Freeland got Bobby Witt Jr. to ground out to short, and then Freeland struck out Vinny Pasquantino and Salvador Perez to end the innings.
Freeland gave up two runs (one earned) in seven innings, allowing seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk. In three starts since coming off the IL, Freeland has allowed three earned runs over 19 2/3 innings, good for a 1.37 ERA.
Black said Freeland has the warrior mentality needed to succeed at Coors Field.
“He embodies that pitcher and that mindset,” Black said. “He was born here, so that’s what he knows. But beyond that, he has what it takes to pitch here. The mental toughness, that no-excuse attitude.”
Freeland was jazzed by the sellout crowd on fireworks night in LoDo.
“It was great. It’s what we live for and why we play the game,” he said. “Great crowd, under the lights. Great time. Fun time. Fifth of July. America. It was fun. You’ve got to make sure you are still having fun.”
The Royals got on the board in the first on Witt’s one-out double off the glove of left fielder Nolan Jones, followed by Perez’s RBI single.
Colorado’s defense let Freeland down in the fourth. Freeland issued a one-out walk to Freddy Fermin, and Nick Lofton’s hot shot scooted under third baseman Ryan McMahon’s glove for an error.
Freeland looked like he would escape the inning unscathed when former Rockie Garrett Hampson grounded to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar for a would-be double play. But second baseman Brendan Rodgers bobbled Tovar’s toss, wiping out the double play and allowing Fermin to score.
Freeland suffered a momentary scare in the second inning. He felt pain in his rib cage area, and the team trainer and manager, Bud Black, came to the mound to check him out. It turned out that Freeland had a cramp but it quickly passed.
Michael Toglia’s controversial solo home run off lefty Cole Ragans got Colorado on the board in the third. Toglia hit the ball to the left-field wall, where a fan reached for the ball, appearing to mess up Dairon Blanco’s chance for a homer-robbing play. But after a video review, Toglia’s 10th homer of the season was confirmed.
The replay crew ruled that it could not definitively determine that the fan made contact with Blanco.
Colorado tied the game, 2-2, in the sixth on Elias Diaz’s RBI single to score Brendan Rodgers. Blanco uncorked three wild pitches in the inning and the Rockies had a chance to blow the game open, but Blanco struck out Jacob Stallings and Jones to quash the threat. Jones, in a terrible slump, is hitting .183 after going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
Marquez update. Right-hander German Marquez, nearing the end of his rehab assignments, pitched 3 2/3 innings at Double-A Hartford on Thursday. He allowed one earned run on five hits, walked one and struck out two. Marquez’s fastball reached 99 mph. He is scheduled to pitch again for the Yard Goats on Tuesday.
“German came out of that fine,” Rockies manager Bud Black said Friday afternoon. “He threw (69) pitches. He’s healthy. Feels good. We’ve texted this afternoon, and he feels good.”
If Marquez pitches well on Tuesday and comes out of that start feeling healthy, he could line up top start for the Rockies on July 14 against the Mets in New York just before the All-Star break.
The 2021 All-Star has not pitched in the majors since April 26 of last season at Cleveland. He underwent Tommy John surgery a couple of weeks later after making just four starts and posting a 4.95 ERA.
Veen update. Outfielder Zac Veen will soon be playing for Double-A Hartford again.
Colorado’s first-round pick in 2020 has been sidelined by a low-back strain. After rehabbing in Arizona, he began playing for HIgh-A Spokane on Monday and hit 4 for 13 (.308) with a double, three RBIs, five walks, one strikeout and three stolen bases in four games. He went 0 for 4 on Thursday.
Black said Friday that Veen will soon report to Double-A Hartford. If Veen plays well for the Yard Goats, there is a chance he could make his major league debut late this season.
Veen played very well to begin the season, slashing .326/.418/.568 in 28 games.
