Rocky patch
Braves keep sliding as Colorado sweeps
ATLANTA — D.J. LeMahieu and the Colorado Rockies are quite comfortable on the road — even against baseball’s best teams.
LeMahieu homered and German Marquez pitched seven solid innings Sunday as the Rockies closed out their first four-game sweep in Atlanta with a 4-2 victory over the Braves.
Colorado improved to 30-16 since June 26, and each of those games came against teams with winning records at the time. The Rockies are 8-2 in their past 10 games — against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Houston Astros and Atlanta, facing the latter two on the road.
“Yeah, it’s tough teams, but we’re definitely not nervous or scared to play anyone with our team,” LeMahieu said. “We all know we have a really good team here. It makes it easy to show up at the park.”
Colorado’s only previous sweep in Atlanta was a threegame series at Turner Field on Sept. 12-14, 1997.
Atlanta’s four straight defeats, tied for its longest losing streak of the season, followed a five-game winning streak and wrapped up a 6-5 homestand at SunTrust Park.
“In this business, every time you think you have something figured out, you get kicked right in the teeth,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, whose team started the day leading the NL East by a half-game over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Braves rookie outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was 0-for-4, ending his 11-game hitting streak. His team-record streak of reaching safely in nine consecutive plate appearances leading off a game also ended with his flyout to center field in the first inning.
Atlanta fell to 9-18 against the NL West this season. The Braves are 40-19 against NL East teams.
Marquez (11-9) won his fourth straight road decision. He allowed two runs and five hits, struck out five batters and walked one.
“Hopefully we can keep this rolling all the way to the World Series,” Marquez said through a translator.
He allowed a run in the first when Freddie Freeman doubled and scored on Johan Camargo’s single. He then threw four straight scoreless innings before Camargo’s single in the sixth drove in Freeman again.
Trevor Story led off the second inning with a tying homer off Atlanta’s Anibal Sanchez (6-4) into the Colorado bullpen behind the left-field wall.
Sanchez struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs and five hits.
LeMahieu put Colorado in front with his third-inning drive to left field. He has hit nine of his 11 homers this year on the road, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the 10th inning of Saturday night’s 5-3 win.
“No explanation,” LeMahieu said when asked about his road success. “Just kind of random, I guess.”
After LeMahieu’s homer in the third, David Dahl doubled and scored on Nolan Arenado’s single.
The Rockies scored their final run with two outs in the top of the ninth as pinch-hitter Carlos Gonzalez singled to drive in Ryan McMahon, who had singled before advancing to second on Brad Brach’s balk.
Wade Davis gave up a oneout single to Inciarte but had three strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth for his National League-leading 35th save.
Rockies manager Bud Black said his team, battling Arizona for the NL West lead, is playing “good, all-around, clean baseball” but still can hit better.
The Rockies improved to 37-29 away from Coors Field in 2018. They have won their past four series in Atlanta; the Braves won two of three in Colorado in early April.
In Braves transactions, left-handed pitcher Sam Freeman (left shoulder inflammation) was activated off the 10-day disabled list and lefty Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The Braves open a seven-game road trip and a threegame series against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. Kevin Gausman (7-9, 4.22 ERA) is set to make his fourth start since coming to Atlanta in a trade from the Baltimore Orioles. He is 2-1 with the Braves.
Since dropping five in a row and six of seven, the Pirates have won two straight.