Toglia hits three homers, Tovar adds two and the Rockies beat the Mets 8-5

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Toglia became the first Colorado switch-hitter to homer three times in a game, leading the Rockies to an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday.

Ezequiel Tovar homered twice and red-hot Brennan Doyle homered again as the Rockies hit a season-high six home runs to finish the three-game series with 10.

Toglia connected for three solo home runs, two off New York starter Jose Quintana (4-6), to become the first Rockies player with a three-homer game since Brendan Rodgers in a 13-12 victory over Miami in the second game of a doubleheader on June 1, 2022.

Toglia hit his final homer in the eighth off reliever Adrian Houser. He is the sixth Colorado hitter to achieve the feat in a road game.

All-Star Pete Alonso also homered and Jose Iglesias reached base five times and scored two runs for New York, which had its five-game winning streak snapped. The Mets fell for just the second time in nine games and go into the All-Star break 49-46, just missing reaching 50 wins before the break for just the ninth time in franchise history.

Doyle drove Quintana’s first pitch of the sixth inning to the left of the Citi Field home run apple for the third Colorado blast of at least 430 feet to snap a 3-3 tie. The homer was his eighth in July. He is hitting .422 (19 for 45) with five doubles and 15 RBIs in the month and is one of five players with at least 30 extra-base hits, 20 stolen bases and 10 home runs this season.

Germán Márquez made his first appearance in the majors in 445 games, returning to the mound after 2023 Tommy John surgery. After cruising through the first three innings, Márquez tired in the fourth, allowing a two-run homer by Alonso and a bases-loaded walk to Francisco Lindor.

Márquez threw 70 pitches over four innings and his strikeout of Alonso leading off the second was the 986th of his career, passing Jorge De La Rosa to become Colorado’s career leader.

Justin Lawrence (2-3) struck out two over a scoreless inning after relieving Márquez.

Scoreless in their previous 15 innings, the Rockies quickly jumped on the board in the first on Tovar’s two-run homer into the second deck. Charlie Blackmon led the game off with a single, his 11th in his first 20 at-bats against Quintana. Tovar followed by driving Quintana’s first pitch 431 feet into the stands.

Quintana allowed four homers in a game for the first time in his 13-year career.

The Mets scored twice against the beleaguered Colorado bullpen in the eighth. Iglesias began the rally with a leadoff single and came around to score on Jeff McNeil’s line-drive double. The Mets brought the tying run to the plate against Victor Vodnik, but Brandon Nimmo grounded into a bases-loaded fielder’s choice and Francisco Alvarez lined out sharply to Doyle near the center field wall to end the threat.

Vodnik worked around two singles in the ninth but struck out pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez to close out his second save.

Alonso’s fourth-inning homer was just his second in his last 16 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: To make room for Márquez on the active roster, Colorado optioned right-handed pitcher Angel Chivilli to Double-A Hartford. Additionally, left-handed pitcher Josh Rogers (shoulder) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque following Saturday’s game.

Mets: RHP Kodai Senga (shoulder) allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings with three strikeouts for Triple-A Syracuse in his third minor league rehab start. Facing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RoughRiders, a New York Yankees affiliate for the second time, Senga threw 40 of his 66 pitches for strikes. A decision on whether or not Senga will need additional time in the minor leagues is expected to made after the All-Star Break … New York manager Carlos Mendoza was unable to offer any new timetable on OF Starling Marte (knee) and categorized Marte’s recovery as slow. Recent imaging showed improvement with the deep bone bruise on his right knee, but Mendoza said he is unsure when he’ll be back … Sean Reid-Foley (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session in Florida on Tuesday. The right-hander will throw either a second bullpen or live bating practice Friday.

UP NEXT

After the All-Star Break, New York heads to Florida to open a four-game series against Miami, while Colorado opens a six-game homestand against San Francisco. Projected starters have not been announced for either game.