A winning team again: Braves sweep Rockies 8-7 behind Olson HR
Matt Olson hit a three-run homer, Ronald Acuña Jr. had a solo shot among his four hits and the Atlanta Braves moved above .500 for the first time since the season’s opening week by holding off the Colorado Rockies 8-7 on Sunday.
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Ozzie Albies added a two-run single and Adam Duvall doubled and tripled for the Braves (28-27), who completed a four-game sweep and won their season-high fifth straight. They last had a winning record when they were 2-1 on April 9.
Ryan Feltner (1-2) allowed six runs and seven hits over three innings in the Rockies’ fourth straight loss. Brendan Rodgers homered, doubled, singled and drove in three. Brian Serven and Charlie Blackmon homered for Colorado, which has dropped 20 of 27 since starting 16-11.
The Rockies got within 8-7 on Blackmon’s solo homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth. Pinch-hitter C.J. Cron doubled with two outs, but Sam Hilliard grounded to first and Olson dove to tag the bag just ahead of the runner to give Jansen his 14th save.
Olson belted Feltner’s fastball 441 feet to center in the second inning for his seventh homer to put Atlanta up for good at 6-3. The first baseman drove in nine runs on the Braves’ 5-2 trip.
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Acuña went deep against Robert Stephenson in the eighth for his sixth career four-hit game.
Charlie Morton (4-3) labored early before settling down and allowing four runs and six hits in five innings.
After the teams headed to extra innings 0-0 and 1-1 the past two days, Sunday resembled a familiar high-altitude game at Coors Field.
The first inning lasted 41 minutes and ended 3-all. Feltner threw 38 pitches and Morton 41. There were 18 batters, five hits, three walks, a hit batter and an error. Connor Joe led off the bottom of the inning with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 32 games. It’s the longest for a Colorado player since DJ LeMahieu’s 38-gamer in 2016.
Colorado continued to play poor defense. Serven’s throwing error at catcher allowed a run to score in the fifth. Third baseman Ryan McMahon booted a grounder in the eighth for his 11th error to give the Rockies a major league-high 46.
UP NEXT
Braves: Off on Monday after playing 17 straight days. RHP Kyle Wright (5-3, 2.41 ERA) starts at home Tuesday night against Oakland.
