Rockies avoid sweep by Athletics with 12-5 win
Chase Dollander won his major league debut with five solid innings, and the Colorado Rockies avoided a sweep by the Athletics and snapped a six-game skid with a 12-5 win on Sunday.
Dollander (1-0), the ninth overall pick in 2023, gave up a two-run homer to Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning but worked out of a jam in the fourth. He benefited from Colorado's first big offensive game of the season.
Brenton Doyle homered, doubled, singled and drove in four runs and Ezequiel Tovar tied a career-high with four hits and had three RBIs to help the Rockies salvage the finale of the three-game series.
Doyle led off the bottom of the first with a homer and drove in two more with a double in the second off Joey Estes (0-2). Kris Bryant doubled, singled and drove in his first run of the season as Colorado took a 6-2 lead after three innings.
Lawrence Butler led off the fifth with a homer off Dollander, but the right-hander retired the next three to end his day.
Key moment
With the Rockies leading 6-2, Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson led off the fourth with singles to put runners on the corners. Miguel Andujar followed with an RBI single but Wilson was thrown out trying to go to third, and Dollander got out of the jam.
Key stats
Colorado's bullpen entered Sunday with a 7.71 ERA but allowed just one run in four innings. Jake Bird struck out five of six batters, Luis Peralta got an out on his only pitch and left when Brent Rooker's liner hit him the back and Victor Vodnik got the final five outs for his first save.
Up next
RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 3.75 ERA) faces San Diego when the A's open a six-game homestand on Monday. The Rockies continue their homestand on Tuesday when LHP Kyle Freeland (0-1, 2.13) faces the Milwaukee Brewers.AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
