Brenton Doyle finished a strong July with a big home run in the eighth inning, and Ezequiel Tovar continued his hitting streak to 17 games as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on Wednesday night, ending a five-game losing streak.
Logan O’Hoppe hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for the Angels, who have a 2-4 record on their current homestand.
Doyle, who missed Tuesday’s game because of a bruised right index finger, hit a slider from Hans Crouse (4-2) that traveled 431 feet into the left-field stands beyond the bullpens, putting the Rockies back in the lead.
“I know that guy is kind of slider heavy. Just wanted to get something a little elevated and something I could handle,” Doyle said.
Doyle’s home run was his 11th in July, tying him with Oakland’s Brent Rooker for the most in the majors, and it was his 19th extra-base hit, leading MLB.
His .337 batting average (29 for 86) during the month was third in the National League. He also led the NL in slugging (.791) and OPS (1.191).
This is a significant improvement for Doyle, who had a .223 batting average in June and was struggling with a 5 for 40 slump before July.
“Those lows in the season are what kind of open your eyes and tell you that you have to work on something. I’m thankful that streak happened because if it didn’t happen I might not be where I’m at right now,” Doyle said.
Rockies manager Bud Black expressed hope that Doyle will be named NL Player of the Month, noting that he is the first Rockies player to hit double-digit homers in July since Carlos Gonzalez in 2015.
“He’s deserving,” Black said. “It’s a great sign of stability and self-confidence that you have to keep going and keep the faith and know your talent is going to get you out of (a slump).”
Kyle Freeland (3-4) won for the third time in his last four starts, matching his season-high by pitching seven innings. The left-hander allowed one run and six hits while striking out six batters.
Victor Vodnik closed the game with a perfect ninth inning, earning his fourth save in six chances.
Tovar got the Rockies’ first hit with a one-out single to left field in the first inning. He moved to second when Ryan McMahon walked with two outs and scored on Kris Bryant’s RBI single to left field.
