This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Excuse Brenton Doyle if he petitions for the Colorado Rockies’ homestand to never end.
Doyle will look to keep his five-game tear going on Sunday afternoon when the Rockies face the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a three-game set in Denver.
Doyle hit a two-run homer in Saturday’s 3-1 victory for his fourth blast in the five games. He is a lava-hot 11-for-17 with four doubles, nine RBIs and four walks during the stretch.
The homer came off Royals ace Seth Lugo, who is in the running to start for the American League in the upcoming All-Star Game.
“Guys like him are not easy to face, and he’s been doing really well all year,” Doyle said of Lugo. “He’s been throwing really well all year, and to get a hit like that off him is pretty huge for me, and to fire the team up a little bit. We played a good rest of the game.”
The victory was the third in a row for the Rockies. It marks just the second time Colorado has won at least three consecutive games this season. The other occasion is when the Rockies won seven straight games in May.
Doyle has raised his average 22 points during the last five games. Unfortunately for him, Sunday is the finale of a seven-game homestand.
Meanwhile, the Royals have lost three straight games and four of five. As per the road, Kansas City is just 2-9 over the past three-plus weeks.
Brady Singer (4-5, 3.05 ERA) will start for the Royals on Sunday against fellow right-hander Tanner Gordon of the Rockies.
Gordon will make his major league debut. The 26-year-old originally was a sixth-round selection by the Atlanta Braves in 2019 and was dealt to Colorado nearly 12 months ago along with right-hander Victor Vodnik for right-hander Pierce Johnson.
One of the first things on Gordon’s mind after the trade was the high altitude at Coors Field.
“They say baseball’s a mental game, and it definitely is,” Gordon told reporters on Saturday. “But when I got traded, a lot of the talk was about the altitude, and I try to put that away and stick to my game and just throw strikes and get outs. At the end of the day, that’s all you really can do. Both teams have to throw in the altitude.”
Gordon made seven starts at Triple-A Albuquerque this season and was 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA. The Isotopes also play at high altitude.
But the Rockies looked past the stats and decided Gordon was ready to get a shot.
“We saw him in spring training briefly, so our initial first impression was great,” said Colorado manager Bud Black, a former major league pitcher. “… Our player development people really like what they’ve seen and think he’s ready for this.”
Singer, 27, is winless since May 19, a span of seven starts. He has given up just one run in each of his past three turns, receiving no-decisions twice and losing to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Tuesday when he gave up three hits over five innings.
Singer defeated Colorado on June 4, 2023, in Kansas City when he gave up five hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Colorado’s Nolan Jones is 4-for-5 in his career against Singer.
The Royals reinstated left-hander Kris Bubic from the 60-day injured list on Saturday. He is back from Tommy John surgery and is ready to make his first big league appearance in nearly 15 months.
“It’s exciting,” Bubic told reporters on Saturday. “It’s never fun to get injured, and it’s a lot of work on the rehab side, obviously. You never take the game for granted. … It’s a long journey, but I’m excited to be back and help the team win.”
Bubic will be used in relief.
–Field Level Media
