Baseball

Seiya Suzuki Homer and Finish with Three Hits; Rockies’ 6-4 Win over Cubs

AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki gestures while running the bases on a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jake Bird during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in Denver.

13:17 JST, September 13, 2023

DENVER (AP) — Kris Bryant hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and had three RBIs against his former team, helping the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 6-4 on Tuesday night.

Elías Díaz had three hits for Colorado, which denied the Cubs a chance to gain ground on Philadelphia in the NL wild card. The Phillies lead Chicago by 1 1/2 games for the first wild card, and the Cubs trail NL Central-leading Milwaukee by four games.

Brenton Doyle had two hits, Jake Bird (3-3) got the win in relief of Chris Flexen, and Justin Lawrence caught Nico Hoerner looking with two on to end the game and get his 11th save for the Rockies.

Seiya Suzuki homered and finished with three hits and Hoerner and Dansby Swanson had two hits apiece for Chicago.

AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki watches his RBI single off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chris Flexen during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in Denver.

Bryant was activated from the injured list Monday after missing 45 games because of a fractured left index finger. He put Colorado ahead with a home run off of Daniel Palencia (5-2) in the sixth. Doyle tacked on an RBI single in the seventh.

Bryant’s home run, his ninth, was his first since July 18, four days before he was injured.

The Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the second inning only to have Colorado send nine men to the plate in the fourth against starter Javier Assad. Bryant tied it with a check-swing single to right and a groundout and Díaz’s RBI single gave the Rockies a 4-2 lead.

Seiya tied it with a two-run homer, his 17th, off Bird in the sixth inning.