Braves top Rockies, end losing streak at seven

They begin a nine-game homestand Monday night with a manageable opponent in the Colorado Rockies, but even those meetings have gone poorly for the free-falling Braves this summer.

Julio Teheran has had Jekyll and Hyde type of season for the Atlanta Braves, dominant at home (7-1, 2.55 ERA in 13 starts) and lackluster on the road (2-5, 6.32 ERA in 13 starts).

The pitch to Gomes stayed in De La Rosa’s mind after the game. I’m sure he’s had success against several guys. “He noticed the ball properly tonight”. That blast continued the first-inning woes for De La Rosa, who has allowed 22 of his 67 runs within the first inning.

“I made a mistake to Gomes and he hit a homer”, De La Rosa said.

The Rockies are really going to be challenged for the place at the the top of the reverse standings with the Braves being one of six teams within two losses of each other in the race for first pick.

The Braves snapped their seven-game losing streak and left the Rockies with four straight losses.

Gomes nicked De La Rosa again in the fifth inning by shortening his swing and poking the ball up the middle to score Cameron Maybin, who led off with a double.

De La Rosa (7-6) pitched seven innings and allowed 5 runs, all earned, on 9 hits and 4 walks, with three strikeouts. He also gave up a solo homer to third baseman Adonis Garcia.

“High walks, a lot of extended counts and he couldn’t get any further than six innings, but he did a heck of a job”, Weiss said.

The home-road splits worked in Julio Teheran’s favor, just as seeing a left-hander on the mound was good news for Jonny Gomes.

The second to last came against the Braves as Bettis yielded three runs and three hits in six innings of an 11-3 home victory on July 12. It was his third consecutive win.

Arodys Vizcaino got his fourth save of the year to close out the Braves’ first win since Sunday, August 16.

The Rockies greeted Teheran with two lengthy blasts early. It was the fourth time this year – and the 11th time in his big-league career – that Blackmon opened a game with a homer. Foltynewicz faced the Rockies twice in relief, giving up one run on four hits in two innings with four strikeouts.

Brandon Barnes, who took over for Gonzalez in right field, drove in Matt McBride with a single to left field off Edwin Jackson in the eighth.

Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez left the game in the fifth inning because of right knee soreness. His status is day to day and manager Walt Weiss called the move “just precautionary”.