The Rockies have been waiting a while to put up some crooked numbers in an inning. They did it twice on Saturday to beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 at SunTrust Park. DJ LeMahieu had a solo home run in each of Colorado’s big innings, his first career multi-home run game.
The deciding blow came in the ninth inning, when Carlos Gonzalez led off the inning with a pinch-hit single. Charlie Blackmon followed with a two-run home run off Arodys Vizcaino to break a 4-4 tie. LeMahieu followed with his second home run of the game.
The victory wouldn’t come easy though.
Greg Holland, who has been struggling throughout August, couldn’t get the job done in the bottom of the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single to Ozzie Albies before getting Dansby Swanson to fly out. He then allowed his fourth home run in the month of August, a pinch-hit home run by Matt Adams. After Ender Inciarte singled to follow, Bud Black called on Jake McGee to get the final two outs. McGee needed just three pitches to get Brandon Phillips to ground into a game-ending double play.
Pat Valaika gave the Rockies an early lead when he drove in Gerardo Parra in the second inning. Parra was hit by a pitch and moved up to second when Jonathan Lucroy walked.
The Braves put up two in the third on Freeland playing small ball. A leadoff hit by Swanson was followed by a sac bunt. An Inciarte infield single moved him over to third and a base hit by Brandon Phillips drove him in. Freddie Freeman scored Inciarte on a sac fly to give Atlanta a 2-1 advantage.
LeMahieu hit his fifth home run of the season, an opposite field shot, to tie the game at two in the fifth inning. The Rockies added another two runs on a Trevor Story two-out double later in the inning. Mark Reynolds walked and Parra singled, both with two outs, to set the stage.
The Braves battled back in the sixth, though, touching Freeland for two runs on back-to-back two-out doubles by Albies and Swanson. Nick Markakis started the rally with a one-out single. Freeland ended his night by striking out pinch hitter Lane Adams to end the inning.
Chris Rusin pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, and Pat Neshek did the same in the eighth to send it to the ninth knotted at four.
The Rockies and Braves will face off in the rubber match of their weekend series on Sunday. Jon Gray and Mike Foltynewicz square off. The last time those two faced one another Colorado ran away with a 17-2 victory at Coors Field.