Doyle homers twice, Moustakas hits against his former team in Rockies’ win
Brenton Doyle gave himself a birthday present on Sunday by hitting his second major league home run.
He doubled that on Monday.
Doyle hit two home runs against the Cincinnati Reds, propelling the Colorado Rockies to a 9-8 win.
“We’ll carry it on all week hopefully,” he said.
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Since his debut late last month, Doyle’s biggest impact has come on defense and on the base paths. He’s already made the SportsCenter Top Ten for his stunning diving catches. And he added another to the highlight reel in the ninth inning on Monday that saved a run.
“I say all the time, I take a lot of pride in my defense,” Doyle said. “Tracking balls and making plays like I did tonight saves a lot of runs.”
His speed on the base path is elite. He leads the team with six stolen bases despite playing half as many games as most of his teammates.
In the past 48 hours, the Rockies have also gotten a glimpse at Doyle’s power potential. He’s shown this in the minors, hitting 26 home runs across Double-A and Triple-A a year ago. It’s helped that the Rockies are giving him almost daily at-bats, even though the numbers are consistently there.
“With Brenton, we’ve talked about his skill set. It showed up tonight,” manager Bud Black said. “A night like tonight showed what a young player can do.”
Moustakas homers against former team
The Reds paid a big price for Moustakas’ home run.
In 2019, Moustakas singed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Reds, the richest free agent contract in franchise history. His tenure with the Reds was filled with injury and letdowns. He played in 204 games across three seasons, never hitting more than four home runs. The Reds released him in December, knowing that they would have to pay out the rest of his salary.
Moustakas could have just coasted for the rest of the seasons, enjoying his $18 million paycheck from his home without lifting a finger. He landed with the Rockies on a minor league deal halfway through spring training, no guarantee that he would make the opening day roster. He made it, though, after a strong showing in spring training and a slew of injures to the Rockies’ core.
His playing time this season has been infrequent, most of his days spent on the bench backing up Ryan McMahon at third and C.J. Cron at first. With Cron on the injured list, Moustakas got the start on Monday. He made the most of it, rounding the bases with his former team forced to watch.
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Toglia, Abad added to active roster
The Rockies selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Fernando Abad and recalled Michael Toglia on Monday, replacing Cron (back spasms) and Nick Mears (left oblique strain). Cron’s injury, similar to what he experienced in 2021, is expected to be minor, and he’s only expected to miss the minimum time.
Abad, 37, is on an active roster for the first time since 2021. He had a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings pitched for Triple-A Albuquerque.
Toglia, the last player sent down in spring training, is up for the first time this season. He started off the year slowly but had a .292 batting average with two home runs in 11 games this month.
What happened: In a classic Coors Field game, the Rockies and Reds traded runs back and forth all night. The Rockies got the win thanks to a two-run double from Harold Castro in the seventh and a home run from Brenton Doyle, his second of the day, in the eighth.
On the mound: Connor Seabold had his worst outing since joining the rotation, allowing six runs, four earned in, 4⅓ innings. Hunter Greene made it just four innings, allowing six runs.
At the plate: Mike Moustakas and Brenton Doyle both hit home runs. Castro had three hits, including that impactful seventh inning double.
What’s next: Cincinnati Reds (TBA) at Colorado Rockies (RHP Chase Anderson, 0-0, 0.00) at 6:40 MT Tuesday (AT&T SportsNet)
Colorado Rockies’ Brenton Doyle follows the flight of his two-run home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene in the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, May 15, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)