The away game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday seemed to start like many other games for the Colorado Rockies. The Blue Jays got on the board first in the first inning, then Colorado answered with a run of their own. Toronto scored again in the second inning, but that is where the similarity to the rest of the 2024 season ended because it was time for the Rockies to come alive at the plate.
For the first time this season, the Rockies had 20 hits in a game and scored in seven innings against Toronto. The scoring was not the product of a big single rally but instead consistent hits across the entire game. Colorado’s lineup looked a little different with Ezequiel Tovar leading off followed by Ryan McMahon and Kris Bryant, which may have been the adjustment the Rockies needed to breathe new life into the team’s performance at the plate.
The string of hits in the top of the second started with a single by Elias Diaz. Brendan Rodgers brought Diaz home on a double and put the Rockies on the board, but the inning ended with two stranded on base. Ryan Feltner sent a nearly centered fastball at the plate for a first pitch to start the bottom of the second, and Dalton Varsho sent it out for a homerun to put the Blue Jays up again. Feltner kept it together and got out of the inning with no more damage.
It was in the bottom of the third when the Rockies changed course from their typical 2024 season pattern and did things differently. Tovar got on with a line drive to center, but immediately found a way to keep putting in work and stole second. This season, Tovar has shown signs of wanting to be more aggressive with his base running as evidenced by his two stolen bases and several attempts this early in the season. The stolen base put Tovar in scoring position when McMahon was able to bring him home with a double to right field.
McMahon then showed some smart base running when Diaz sent a line drive to center field. McMahon watched the hit while his feet were moving cautiously but took off full speed to convert the hit to another run as soon as the ball touched ground in centerfield. Alert and aggressive playing seemed to characterize the Rockies offense from this point forward.
By the time the Blue Jays put together a homer and a run scored off a wild pitch, the Rockies had consistently driven the score up out of reach. Tyler Kinley was able to close the game and give Feltner his first win of the season. This kind of ballgame was a steady march throughout the game characterized by good hitting across the entire game that gave the Rockies a comfortable lead and a solid win in Toronto. Colorado has experienced this type of score split several times already this season, but fans are relieved to see this one go into the win category as a welcome change.
