Daulton Varsho slammed his second grand slam of his career, and Yariel Rodríguez impressed with six strikeouts in his debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, leading them to a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.
Rodríguez, making his major league debut, showed great promise, allowing only one run, four hits, and two walks over 3 2/3 innings. The right-hander, who signed with Toronto during the offseason after playing in Japan last year, received praise from Blue Jays manager John Schneider for his impressive performance.
Promoted from Triple-A Buffalo before the game, Rodríguez stepped in for Bowden Francis, who later pitched in relief and conceded two runs in 2 1/3 innings.
Tim Mayza, Chad Green, and Yimi Garcia handled the bullpen duties effectively, with Garcia securing his first save of the season with a solid performance in the ninth inning.
The Rockies, who won 12-4 against Toronto on Friday, struggled to maintain momentum, failing to secure consecutive road wins since July 2023. Their last winning streak was back in September 2023, highlighting their inconsistency on the road.
Toronto took an early lead in the first inning when Davis Schneider drew a bases-loaded walk, followed by Varsho’s powerful home run into the right-field bullpen, marking his second homer of the season.
Colorado’s Dakota Hudson had a tough outing, allowing five runs and five hits over six innings. Despite his efforts, including five strikeouts, he couldn’t recover from the challenging first inning.
Brenton Doyle’s solo home run and Brendan Rodgers’ two-run single in the sixth inning narrowed the gap for the Rockies, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win.
Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant exited the game in the fourth inning due to stiffness in his right ribs and back, an injury sustained when he collided with the outfield wall while making a catch earlier in the game.
