Ezequiel Tovar homered, Brendan Rodgers had two hits, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 in Denver on Sunday to sweep their first series of the season.
Ty Blach (1-1) allowed just one run on seven hits in five innings and Jalen Beeks picked up his third save for Colorado, which has won four in a row. The Rockies are the last team in the majors to sweep a series.
Marcus Semien and Ezequiel Duran had two hits each for Texas, which has lost four of its last five games and was swept for the first time.
The Rangers struck in the first inning but missed an opportunity for more. Semien and Corey Seager led off with singles, and Semien went to third on Nathaniel Lowe’s double play grounder. Adolis Garcia singled to right to put Texas ahead 1-0.
Colorado responded in the bottom of the inning when Charlie Blackmon led off with a single and Tovar homered down the left-field line. It was his fourth of the season.
Rangers starter Jose Urena (1-3) kept it that way with a strong start against his former team. He allowed two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings in his third start of the season.
Blach made the lead stand up through five innings with some help from his defense. After a double play wiped out Duran’s leadoff single in the fifth, Leody Taveras and Semien reached on singles.
Seager then drove Blach’s last pitch to the warning track in center before Brenton Doyle ran it down as he crashed into the wall.
Colorado squashed another rally before it started in the eighth inning. Semien hit a sharp grounder into the hole that Tovar snagged, and his throw to first beat Semien by a step.
Seager followed with another grounder up the middle but Rodgers made a diving grab and threw him out for the second out.
The Rockies extended the lead in the eighth. Ryan McMahon led off with a double and Jonathan Hernandez came on and struck out Elias Diaz before walking three straight, including Doyle to force in a run.
–Field Level Media