Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar hit a tie-breaking eighth inning home run and the Rockies rallied from an early four-run deficit to defeat the host Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in Friday night’s series opener between two teams that have mostly struggled this year.
Mickey Moniak and Thairo Estrada also homered, while Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck each had two hits for the Rockies, who have posted a three-game winning streak for only the third time this season.
Jordan Westburg, Tyler O’Neill, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson all hit solo home runs for the Orioles, who dropped to 2-6 since the All-Star break. Jackson Holliday rapped three hits. Reliever Andrew Kittredge (1-2) took the loss.
Orioles’ starter Dean Kremer allowed five runs on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Holliday’s two-out single for his third hit of the game tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh. Despite giving up that run, reliever Jake Bird (4-1) got the win.
Rockies starter Kyle Freeland gave up solo home runs to four of the first nine batters he faced but was in line to be the winning pitcher when he exited the game after giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Westburg’s 11th homer and O’Neill’s fourth came across a three-batter stretch in the first inning. It marked O’Neill’s second long ball since he returned earlier this month from a nearly two-month stay on the injured list.
Mayo led off the second inning with his second home run. Jackson’s homer later in the second marked his second home run in 11 games since joining the Orioles in early July.
Moniak’s homer with two outs in the third made it 4-1. Estrada’s two-run blast came in the fourth and closed Colorado’s deficit to 4-3.
Goodman’s double tied the score in the fifth and Beck followed with a go-ahead single.
Earlier in the day, the Rockies traded third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers.
–Field Level Media
