Coors Field is not built for pitchers' duels, but Tomoyuki Sugano made it one. The Rockies right-hander worked 6.2 innings and allowed just a single run, and Colorado made three runs hold up for a 3-1 win over Kansas City.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| COL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Sugano scattered five hits and struck out two without issuing a walk, needing only 83 pitches to get through his outing. The lone run against him came on a solo homer, and little else troubled him. He improved to 11-4 on the season, carrying a 4.47 ERA.
Colorado's scoring came in pieces. Moniak scored in the first when Rumfield singled to right, giving the Rockies an early lead they would not relinquish. In the fourth, Karros scored on a throwing error by second baseman Massey, and Johnston later crossed the plate when Doyle doubled to left, stretching the margin to 3-0. Kansas City's only response came in the sixth, when Jensen homered to right on a 424-foot shot to make it 3-1.
Michael Wacha did not pitch badly himself, working six innings and allowing three runs, only one earned, while striking out seven without a walk. But two Kansas City errors turned into Rockies runs, and Wacha took the loss, falling to 5-8. Massey, the Royals second baseman charged with the costly error, went 0-for-4 at the plate.
The Rockies bullpen covered 2.1 innings without allowing a run, and Jordan Romano closed it out with a scoreless ninth for his 5th save of the season. Colorado improved to 43-67, snapping in with a win after the previous decision, while Kansas City fell to 46-65 with its second straight loss.