Gomber's stellar outing leads Rockies in series opener

SAN FRANCISCO -- Right when the momentum of the game was beginning to shift in the direction of the Giants on Friday night at Oracle Park, Brenton Doyle swung it right back in the Rockies' favor.

Facing his first real trouble of the evening after serving up a game-tying two-run shot to Brandon Crawford to open the sixth inning, lefty Austin Gomber had runners on the corners and just one out. He got J.D. Davis to lift a fly ball to shallow center field -- an easy out for Doyle -- but speedy Austin Slater tagged up at third base and threatened to score.

Not on Doyle's watch. The Rockies' center fielder uncorked a one-hopper to the plate, and backstop Elias Díaz tagged out Slater with plenty of time to spare. It was, as manager Bud Black termed it, a game-changer.

"Defense changes the momentum, for sure," the Rockies' skipper said following their 5-2 win over the Giants. "That was a huge play. But he's got that type of arm. We've seen it, a couple times this year, save us runs. I think on defense, the thing you can say about Brenton: He's a playmaker. He makes plays."

Added Doyle: "Those double-play balls are some of my favorites. I mean, it's the best feeling, especially in a tight game like that."

Doyle's fifth outfield assist of 2023 kept the score knotted at 2-2 and set the table for Colorado to mount a comeback the following inning, when Ezequiel Tovar launched a booming three-run homer off Tyler Rogers to left-center field.

It also secured a third straight win for Gomber, who could be seen leaping and waving his arms in excitement behind home plate when Doyle and Díaz connected to complete the double play.

"That was a big spot in the game, like we needed to get out of that," Gomber said. "For him to come up and make that throw was huge."

Gomber has been one of Colorado's steadiest starters of late, and his performance on Friday night helped end a couple of extended Rockies losing streaks: a 10-game skid on the road, as well as an 11-game rut against the Giants.

During the team's winless stretch away from Coors Field, Colorado's starters allowed 53 runs (52 earned) across 42 innings for an 11.14 ERA -- the highest road ERA for a Major League rotation by more than five runs in that span.

The rough patch for Colorado's rotation, both home and away, goes back even further. Dating back to May 23, Rockies starters have gone 4-21 in their past 41 games. All four of those wins belong to Gomber.

Though Black said prior to Friday's game that Gomber's secondary pitches had been essential to his recent run of success, the 29-year-old lefty went heavy on his four-seamer, throwing it for 63 of his 82 pitches (77 percent).

That wasn't part of the initial game plan, Gomber said, but it got the job done as he cruised through five scoreless frames to begin his evening. But in order to secure the win, Gomber really had to shove to complete his sixth and final inning.

Getting out cleanly, thanks in part to Doyle, was a nice change of pace for Gomber, who entered the day with an 8.53 ERA at Oracle Park.

"It's kind of been a place that I feel like everything has gone wrong for me over the years," he said. "I knew I had a good one going, and I made the bad pitch to Crawford. … I was pumped when I got to stay in right there, honestly, with the guys on first and third, one out."

Gomber was followed by a shutdown effort from the bullpen, including Daniel Bard's first save since Oct. 4, 2022. None of that would have been possible without Tovar's game-winning shot, which had the Rockies' clubhouse buzzing after the game.

"He's going to be a star, right?" Gomber said. "I think everybody in here recognizes that, and just to see him make those adjustments -- he's so confident in himself at that age. I mean, it's special, man. You recognize, when you've been in the game for long enough, which guys are a little different. And we're fortunate that he's one of us."