CLEVELAND (AP) — Charlie Blackmon homered and drove in two runs, Brenton Doyle had his first three major league hits and the Colorado Rockies beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 on Tuesday night to clinch their first series win this season.
Blackmon hit his 40th leadoff homer on the second pitch of the game and had an RBI double off Peyton Battenfield (0-2) in a three-run second that built a 4-0 lead. He ranks ninth on the career leadoff homer list, four behind Brady Anderson.
Kris Bryant singled Blackmon home, allowing him to tie Hall of Famer Larry Walker for second in Rockies history with 892 runs.
A day after going 0 for 3 with a walk in his debut, the 24-year-old Doyle singled in the second, hit an RBI double in the sixth and reached on an infield single in the eighth. He also stole two bases.
“It was nice to get the hit out of the way on my first at-bat,” Doyle said, holding his milestone baseball. “I always feel comfortable running because that’s the way I play, 100% all the time.”
Colorado had lost 11 of 12 before winning the first two games in the three-game series by an 11-1 margin. The Rockies have won consecutive games for just the third time this season but remain a National League-worst 7-17.
Ryan Feltner (2-2), who grew up in nearby Hudson, Ohio, allowed an unearned run and five hits over six innings. The Ohio State product struck out six and walked none.
“I’m so used to being in the stands here as a kid, it was super cool to pitch in this ballpark,” Feltner said. “I had a lot of first-pitch strikes and great defense helped me tonight.”