Ezequiel Tovar’s career-best night goes to waste with Rockies bullpen meltdown
Jeff Chiu
Ezequiel Tovar signed his first big contract before the year and rewarded the Rockies’ faith with a career-best power showing in Tuesday’s loss.
The bullpen couldn’t do the same.
He hit two home runs for the first time in his career in the 5-4 road loss. Cal Quantrill’s seventh quality start in eight tries also went to waste when the bullpen allowed three runs in two innings to erase a 4-2, seventh-inning lead.
Athletics 5, Rockies 4
What happened: Ezequiel Tovar had the first multi-homer game of his young career to back Cal Quantrill’s latest quality effort, but both went to waste after the bullpen imploded.
On the mound: Quantrill registered his seventh quality start in his last nine tries. He allowed two earned runs across six innings and struck out eight to lower his ERA to 3.59. Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley each allowed home runs as part of three earned runs in the next two innings to waste the effort.
At the plate: Tovar put together his first career multi-homer game. He went deep in the fifth and seventh innings to do so. He is second among NL shortstops in extra-base hits (21) behind Mookie Betts (22). Ryan McMahon hit his eighth home run in the first inning. Elias Díaz had his first three-hit game since Sept. 12, 2023. Colorado struck out six times, including three in the ninth, and walked once.
What’s next: Colorado Rockies (LHP Austin Gomber, 1-2) at Oakland Athletics (RHP Joey Estes, 1-1) at 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum (Rockies.TV).