Gomber was pitching eight innings for the fourth time in his career, but he has yet to finish a game or pitch into the ninth. Black elected to withdraw Gomber after the eighth inning, leaving the final session to closer Tyler Kinley. Kinley recorded a perfect ninth inning, striking out Jorge Soler and Marcell Ozuna to earn his tenth save of the season.
Gomber’s night did not begin well; he allowed three hits in the first inning, including a two-out RBI single by Ramon Laureano. Orlando Arcia’s double in the second was the final hit surrendered by Gomber, who then settled in and dominated.
The Rockies offense was limited against Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez, who struck out a season-high 11 batters. Colorado, on the other hand, made an impact with two important home runs: Michael Toglia’s 451-foot bomb in the second inning and Ezequiel Tovar’s 387-foot rocket in the sixth. Toglia and Tovar currently share the club lead in home runs with 22 each, along with center fielder Brenton Doyle.
“Gomber was exceptional tonight,” Toglia stated. “I thought that was one of his best performances yet. His curveball was especially effective, causing a lot of swing-and-miss.
The Rockies also made good on a seventh-inning opportunity. Toglia walked, stole second base, went to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s throwing error, and scored on Nolan Jones’ sacrifice fly.
During their great victory, the Rockies struck out 16 times, which tied their season record. This season, they lead the National League in strikeouts with 1,377.
In other news, the Rockies have called up right-handed reliever Jaden Hill from Triple-A Albuquerque. Hill, Colorado’s No. 20 prospect, had been delayed due to a right hamstring strain but was eventually brought up on Thursday.
To accommodate Jaden Hill’s promotion, the Rockies promoted left-handed reliever Evan Justice to Triple-A and placed right-handed starter Dakota Hudson on the 60-day disabled list.
Hill, who was picked in the second round of the 2021 draft out of LSU, had his college career cut short due to an elbow injury that necessitated Tommy John surgery. Hill has appeared in 41 games this season as a reliever for Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque, going 6-2 with seven saves. In his debut year as a reliever, he has a 4.57 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 17 walks.
