DENVER (AP) — Chase Dollander won his major league debut with five solid innings, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Athletics 12-5 on Sunday, snapping a six-game skid.

Dollander (1-0), the ninth overall pick in 2023, gave up a two-run homer to Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning but worked out of a jam in the fourth. He benefited from Colorado’s first big offensive game of the season.

Brenton Doyle homered, doubled, singled and drove in four runs and Ezequiel Tovar tied a career-high with four hits and had three RBIs to help the Rockies salvage the finale of the three-game series.

Doyle led off the bottom of the first with a homer and drove in two more with a double in the second off Joey Estes (0-2). Kris Bryant doubled, singled and drove in his first run of the season as Colorado took a 6-2 lead after three innings.

Lawrence Butler led off the fifth with a homer off Dollander, but the right-hander retired the next three to end his day.

Key moment

With the Rockies leading 6-2, Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson led off the fourth with singles to put runners on the corners. Miguel Andujar followed with an RBI single but Wilson was thrown out trying to go to third, and Dollander got out of the jam.

Key stats

Colorado’s bullpen entered Sunday with a 7.71 ERA but allowed just one run in four innings. Jake Bird struck out five of six batters, Luis Peralta got an out on his only pitch and left when Brent Rooker’s liner hit him the back and Victor Vodnik got the final five outs for his first save.

Up next

RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 3.75 ERA) faces San Diego when the A’s open a six-game homestand on Monday. The Rockies continue their homestand on Tuesday when LHP Kyle Freeland (0-1, 2.13) faces the Milwaukee Brewers.

Obi Toppin scores 22 points and Pacers defeat reeling Nuggets 125-120 without Siakam

DENVER (AP) — Obi Toppin scored 22 points in his second start of the season and the Indiana Pacers overcame the absence of Pascal Siakam to hand the reeling Denver Nuggets their fourth consecutive loss Sunday, 125-120.

Myles Turner's 24 points led the Pacers, who overcame a 13-point first-half deficit and an off-night by Tyrese Haliburton, whose nine points on eight shots were less than half his scoring average.

The Nuggets lost their fourth straight despite Nikola Jokic's 41 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists and a career-high 30 points from Christian Braun.

Jokic was charged with a crucial backcourt turnover with the Nuggets trailing 122-120 with 15 seconds remaining but it was Braun who misread the dribble-handoff from Jokic and caused the turnover just as Jokic was passing to Russell Westbrook.

Jamal Murray missed his fifth consecutive game for Denver with a strained right hamstring and coach Michael Malone said “hopefully” his star point guard will be back for the start of the NBA playoffs.

The Pacers were without Siakam (right elbow) and trailed by 13 in the first half. Haliburton came in averaging 18.6 points per game but was held scoreless until his 3-pointer with 3:43 left in the third quarter tied it at 84-all, and his floater gave Indiana a 98-97 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets entered Sunday in fourth place in the bunched-up Western Conference, just a game ahead of the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies.

Takeaways

Pacers: Indiana showed it can win without Siakam and that depth should prove beneficial in the playoffs. The Pacers are solidly in the fourth place in the East.

Nuggets: Denver is falling fast. The Nuggets were in second place not that long ago and now could be facing a play-in game just to make it into the playoffs.

Key moment

Jokic's bad pass to Westbrook in the closing seconds was the Nuggets' third turnover in the final 2 minutes and sixth of the fourth quarter.

Key stat

Malone successfully challenged two foul calls on Denver in the first half, one on Jokic and the other on Christian Braun.

Up next

The Pacers return home to play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. The Nuggets visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.