Rockies win third in a row on Tovar’s eighth-inning homer, now 5-2 since All-Star break

Rockies Report, Game 103:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Break up the Rockies!

Since returning from the All-Star break, Colorado has played its best baseball of the season.

Consider this: In seven games since coming back from the four-day respite, Colorado has won five times — or more than it did in the entire months of April or May, when the Rox emerged victorious four times in each month.

Win No. 5 came in comeback fashion Friday night inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a 6-5 triumph sealed when shortstop Ezequiel Tovar got a hold of an 0-1 Andrew Kittredge inside sinker and launched it into the left-field stands for the decisive run.

TOVAR 💥 POP pic.twitter.com/3M2WXaxQ1D

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 26, 2025

That capped a rally from a 4-0 deficit.

Homers did plenty of damage for the Rox. Mickey Moniak’s 16th blast of the season roused the Rockies in the third inning after a pair of scoreless innings to open the game; Thairo Estrada’s two-run shot in the fourth drew them closer.

In the wake of the trade of longtime third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees earlier Friday, Orlando Arcia worked the hot corner. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the No. 8 spot in the lineup.

The bottom three spots in the order — designated hitter Yanquiel Fernandez, Arcia and first baseman Michael Toglia — combined to go 0-for-12 with six strikeouts. The slumping Toglia’s average has dropped below the Mendoza line, down to .194.

But in spite of that, the Rox had enough thunder from elsewhere in the lineup to earn their third consecutive win.

Reliever Jake Bird gave up a tying run in the seventh after the Rox nudged in front 5-4 in the fifth inning, but received credit for the win thanks to Tovar’s heroics.

Colroado is 27-76.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

The operative word for the first two innings of Kyle Freeland’s night was “Yikes.”

FOUR of the first nine @Orioles batters have hit home runs! pic.twitter.com/5TXOuolrK9

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2025

His first time through Baltimore’s order, Freeland surrendered four hits. All were solo home runs. And to start his second time through the lineup, he yielded a double to Jackson Holliday. The night was about to get out of control.

And then Freeland didn’t allow another run.

So, what happened? As Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer told media after the game, Freeland altered to pitching from the stretch, believing the O’s had figured out that he was doing something to tip his pitches.

Warren Schaeffer and #Rockies starter Kyle Freeland said postgame they felt the #Orioles had something on his heater the first two innings so Free made the adjustment of strictly pitching out of the stretch since they couldn’t narrow on exactly what he was doing to tip pitches.

— Kelsey Wingert-Linch (@KelsWingert) July 26, 2025

In the next four innings, Freeland. allowed just two hits — both singles — and kept the O’s off the board. He left the mound after six innings in line for the win before it slipped away when Holliday singled home Alex Jackson to tie the game.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Seth Halvorsen retired the Orioles in order to close out matters and earn his 10th save of the season.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .500 — Colorado’s average with runners in scoring position Friday, as the Rockies had just two chances, but Beck made one of them count, singling home Hunter Goodman in the fifth inning to put the Rockies in front, 5-4.

WHAT’S NEXT: Antonio Senzatela seeks his fifth win of the season. Baltimore will send Trevor Rodgers to the mound. First pitch is slated for 5:05 p.m. MDT.

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