Rockies Blow Out Blue Jays; First-ever Win in Toronto

Ezequiel Tovar of the Rockies celebrating a home run against the Blue Jays

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

April 12, 2024

Rockies 12, Blue Jays 4

The Colorado Rockies pounded 20 hits, 11 for extra bases, en route to a 12–4 blowout victory over the host Toronto Blue Jays Friday night at the Rogers Centre. It was the first-ever win in Toronto for the Rockies franchise, coming in its tenth try.

Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon went 4-for-6 with a career-first three doubles, raising his NL-leading batting average to .415. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, finishing a home run short of the cycle.

Rockies – Blue Jays Game Summary

For the 13th time out of 14 games in 2024, the Rockies’ opponents scored first. This came in the bottom of the first, when Cavan Biggio drove in Bo Bichette with a two-out single to center. The Rockies tied the game in the top of the second on an RBI double to right-center by Rodgers. They could have scored more, however, as they had runners on second and third with one out but stranded said runners.

When the Blue Jays took the lead in the bottom of the second on a Daulton Varsho leadoff home run, the game took a familiar look — missed opportunities leading to a loss of a winnable game. But the next five innings dispelled any of those thoughts. The Rockies cracked two singles and two doubles in the third to take a 4–2 lead, with the singles coming from Ezequiel Tovar and Elias Diaz and the doubles coming from McMahon and Nolan Jones. Fourth-inning singles from Brenton Doyle and from McMahon, followed by a two-run double by Kris Bryant, extended the lead to 6–2. The Bryant double also ended the outing of Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who finished third in AL Cy Young voting in 2023.

Rockies Turn Game into Rout, Blue Jays Score Consolation Runs

Leadoff homers by Jones in the fifth and Tovar in the sixth made the score 8–2. It became 10–2 in the seventh after an RBI double by Doyle and a sacrifice fly by Tovar. Two more Rockies runs came in the top of the ninth. Rodgers led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Cave. The other run in the inning came when McMahon doubled home Doyle, who had reached on a single.

An Isiah Kiner-Falefa homer in the bottom of the ninth made the score 12–3. Davis Schneider scored the other run. He knocked a one-out double and later scored on a wild pitch by Tyler Kinley and throwing error by catcher Elias Diaz, who was trying to prevent Schneider from advancing to third on said wild pitch.

What Went Right for the Rockies

Offensive Production

Only one of the nine Rockies position players to start the game did not get a hit. All of the remaining eight had two or more. Tovar was 2-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and a homer. McMahon was 4-for-6 with three doubles, two runs, and two RBI. Diaz was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Elehuris Montero was 2-for-5, and Doyle was 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.

Struggling Hitters Find Success

Wednesday’s loss to the Diamondbacks was especially frustrating for Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones, and Brendan Rodgers, whose season-long production to that point had been disappointing. But all three had bounce-back performances Friday.

Bryant ended Wednesday’s game slashing .100/.234/.175 (4-for-40) with a homer, four RBI, four walks, three runs scored, and 15 strikeouts. Friday, Bryant was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and a hit-by-pitch. This single game has raised his slash line to .133/.264/.222, an improvement of 33 points, 30 points, and 47 points, respectively.

Jones ended Wednesday’s game slashing .157/.246/.235 (8-for-51) with two doubles and a triple. Additionally, he was 0-for-his-last-10. Friday, Jones went 2-for-5 with a run scored, two RBI, and his first homer of the season.

Rodgers ended Wednesday’s game slashing .174/.191/.239 (8-for-46) with three doubles. Friday, he was 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored.

Starting Pitching and Long Relief

Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner scattered eight hits across five innings, holding the Blue Jays to two runs, two walks, and a home run while striking out four.

Peter Lambert relieved Feltner and tossed three innings. Of the ten batters he faced, only two reached base. He allowed no runs on one hit, striking out three while walking one. The only hit he allowed was erased by a ground-ball double play.

What Went Wrong for the Rockies

Fell Behind Twice Early

This author understands that it feels strange to point out what went wrong in a 12–4 victory. However, the Rockies did fall behind twice early in the game. They cannot play from behind game after game and expect to put together any string of success.

Short Relief

Tyler Kinley, who has been hit-or-miss thus far this season, allowed two runs (one earned) in the ninth inning. He has now allowed runs in three of his seven appearances, making for a scoreless outing percentage of 57%. This is well below the usual league average in this category (68–71%).

Looking Ahead

Ryan Feltner (1–1) earned the win, with Kevin Gausman (0–2) taking the loss.

The Rockies (4–10) and Blue Jays (6–8) play again Saturday afternoon. Rockies right-hander Dakota Hudson (0–2, 2.38 ERA) will start against Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (0–2, 12.96 ERA). First pitch will be at 1:07 pm Mountain Daylight Time.