Tanner Gordon wasn’t alone on the mound Sunday.

His phone was updating with new head counts for friends and family through the weekend as his debut neared and the righty rewarded his raucous fan section of 30-plus by reaching the seventh inning of the Rockies’ 10-1 loss to the Royals.

He allowed five earned runs but registered the club’s highest strike percentage for a starter this year (79.5 percent).

Here’s a breakdown of the winning series and the moments that mattered most:

The Moment

— Austin Gomber is soft-spoken off the mound but lets his emotions speak while on it.

He allowed two singles in the seventh inning of Saturday’s win before a popout and lineout ended the threat. As he came off the mound, he pumped his arms and shouted until his face turned red. A day before, Kyle Freeland exited after seven innings with a burst of his well-known energy.

The two, alongside Cal Quantrill, are bringing the fight to the mound. Their energy is infectious, and needed inside a clubhouse that has dealt with nearly twice as much losing as winning.

Their skipper appreciates the moments when his pitchers show their strength.

“I think with Austin, Cal and Kyle, I think there’s a poise to those three,” manager Bud Black said after Saturday’s win. “Those guys are able to process and go through the pitch sequencing properly. You don’t know what the result is going to be, but you feel good about the process and where they are.

“That was as strong of a walk off the mound as I’ve seen from (Gomber).”

Gomber and Freeland combined for 14 innings and only two earned runs allowed. It was the former’s longest outing since an eight-inning start against Oakland on May 22 and the latter’s since June 4, 2023, against Kansas City on the road.

As long as the three remain Rockies, they will set the tone for younger pitchers coming up. Freeland worked in spring training to teach Quantrill how to handle Coors Field and has fellow mentors alongside him now to teach them how to handle it and ignite a crowd and dugout when needed.

Takeaway

— Brenton Doyle’s rise is ongoing.

He catalyzed Colorado’s 3-1 win over Kansas City to clinch a series win on Saturday with a home run and drove in the decisive pair with a double on Friday. The outfielder became the fifth player in franchise history to have at least 10 hits, seven extra-base hits, seven runs driven in, and one stolen base in a four-game span. Doyle was the first to do so since Charlie Blackmon from Aug. 11-14 in 2016.

“When you’re going well, your mind is a lot clearer,” Doyle said on Sunday. “You just focus on the pitches coming at you, not your load or the start of your swing.”

The second-year outfielder grabbed a Gold Glove award as a rookie and sought swing improvements in the offseason. He hit .311 in the year’s first month and is up to .524 in July. The hot streak has helped his season-long average to .272 with a career-high 11 home runs already.

Black has seen him hit different pitch types for power and his teammates have too.

It’s elevated him to one of the club’s top players, and the ceiling for his skill set is still being determined — the bar gets raised daily.

What went right

— Winning never hurts, especially in a rebuild.

Colorado won three consecutive games as part of its series win over Kansas City — the club’s first since May 27-29 against Cleveland and its longest win streak since its seven-game spree at the beginning of May. It comes as the club welcomes its next wave of players for the second half, including Tanner Gordon who debuted Sunday and tossed 6 1/3 innings.

The franchise’s minor leagues are developing a winning track record early for the next group.

High-A Spokane won the Northwest League’s first-half title to clinch a playoff spot early and Double-A Hartford will make its first-ever playoff trip after doing the same in the Northeast division. The latter is where most of the team’s top prospects like Adael Amador, Yanquiel Fernandez and Zac Veen reside. In the minor leagues, a first-half title earns an automatic playoff berth.

A rebuild is about development more than results at the onset. Colorado is on pace to lose 100-plus games for the second consecutive year after 30 years of avoiding the dreaded benchmark.

The results flipping positive, as they did against the Royals, would do wonders for the Rockies’ youth and its confidence.

What went wrong

— Ezequiel Tovar has a case of the second-full-season blues.

His start vaunted the shortstop to the team’s most reliable player alongside Ryan McMahon. Tovar has gone hitless in his last 24 at-bats though to lower his average from .284 to .266. He struck out three times in Sunday’s loss and has whiffed multiple times in six of his last seven games.

“Everyday player, every inning player (with) a ton of at-bats,” Black said Sunday. “We talk about peaks and valleys all the time. This is a valley for (Tovar).”

What’s up next

— The Rockies and hometown hurler Ryan Feltner head to Cincinnati for a four-game set.

The Ohio native will start the opener in front of friends and family. It’s the second meeting between the two clubs this year after the Reds swept the Rockies June 3-5 at Coors Field. Colorado is 2-10 at Great American Ballpark since 2019.

Royals 10, Rockies 1

What happened: The Royals used a three-run home run to get their scoring started before five runs in the final three innings doomed the hosting Rockies to a loss and the end of their three-game win streak.

On the mound: Tanner Gordon’s debut was better than his final line indicated. Soft contact led to a three-run homer as part of his five earned runs given up in 6⅓ innings. It was the Rockies’ first starting pitcher debut at Coors Field since Ryan Feltner in 2021. He retired 14 of 16 Royals’ hitters after the home run. Justin Lawrence allowed a pair of earned runs and Ty Blach allowed another three in the ninth inning.

At the plate: Nolan Jones broke up Brady Singer’s shutout with a run-scoring single in the seventh inning. Aaron Schunk had his first career hit with a third-inning single. Ezequiel Tovar continued his slump and is 0-for-24 since a two-hit game against Chicago last month. He had three strikeouts in Sunday’s loss. The Rockies combined for six hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts.

What’s next: Colorado Rockies (RHP Ryan Feltner, 1-7; 5.60) at Cincinnati Reds (LHP Andrew Abbott, 8-6; 3.28) on Monday at 5:10 p.m. at Great American Ballpark (Rockies.TV).