Doyle snaps personal skid while Rockies struggle to solve Thorpe

CHICAGO -- Brenton Doyle entered Friday night against the White Sox -- a one-of-these-teams-is-just-like-the-other-one kind of matchup if there ever was one -- with an understandable thought.

The Rockies, with the National League’s worst record, had managed three runs and little fight while dropping two in Houston. The next opponent carries the Majors’ worst record.

“I think this is a series we definitely should win,” Doyle said.

But his next statement said all you need to know about what happened:

“So, we’ve just gotta get back at it tomorrow.”

Doyle broke a 3-for-27 skid with a first-inning leadoff single, and gave his team a brief lead with a two-run shot in the sixth. But a Michael Toglia solo homer in the seventh was the Rockies’ third hit -- there would be no more -- in the 5-3 loss at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The season-long inability to protect a lead showed up again. Doyle’s homer made for a 3-2 lead, but starter Dakota Hudson (2-11) lost his form and yielded a Luis Robert Jr.'s sixth-inning leadoff double, two walks and a Paul DeJong game-tying single. Justin Lawrence couldn’t keep the three inherited runners on base (with nobody out) from scoring, and the Rockies fell to 6-19 in June.

Rightfully, the Rockies are viewing the season as a means to a happier end at some point. But Doyle’s night and recent plight mirrors that of the club: results during the process can be unsteady.

Doyle hit .203 as a rookie last season, but through a coachable attitude and hard work he had an average in the .280s in mid-May. He has given reason to believe he can maintain an offensive approach on which future teams can benefit. But progress isn’t always linear. The slump dropped him to .258, but Friday lifted him to .262.

Speed and occasional power could make Doyle a leadoff hitter, but his recent struggles coincided with Charlie Blackmon’s absence from the lineup with a right hamstring strain. It could help Doyle that Blackmon will be activated for Saturday’s game, with outfielder Sean Bouchard expected to be optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to make room. Doyle can drop in the order.

Also, Doyle, who has appeared in all but four of the Rockies’ 81 games (it’s the midpoint of the schedule), could get days off. Or he could have days like Friday, when he served as designated hitter while Sam Hilliard played center field.

As much as he wanted to punch a down team while his own team was down, Doyle could leave happy about having some success. Both of his hits, including the Statcast-projected 426-foot homer, were pull shots to left against White Sox righty Drew Thorpe -- whose changeup baffled the Rockies.

“Yeah, I had a couple good hits tonight,” Doyle said. “I wish I could’ve done a little bit more tonight.

“The changeup is his best pitch. It makes his heater play a little harder than it is, just because of how many changes he throws. He located pretty well tonight. I think we’ll be better next time.”

The lineup is more youthful than not, but Rockies young and old have had problems facing a pitcher for the first time. Manager Bud Black said that was part of the issue Friday.

“Three hits …” Black said. “Good thing [is] we got the two homers. Brenton’s homer gave us the lead, gave us some momentum. But we couldn’t solve the changeup -- [Thorpe's] combination of the fastball, breaking ball and the change. Plus, first time facing a fellow, the advantage always goes to the pitcher. I’ve said that repeatedly over the past couple of decades.”

Doyle and the Rockies have two more shots at the Sox the next two days.

“That’s just baseball,” Doyle said. “Some road trips are going to be really good. Some road trips are going to be struggling, but you have to try to build after the bad ones. You can’t just be negative about it.

“All of us, even if we don’t play well, it helps us going forward by knowing what we need to work on.”