Rockies lose 5-2; Blackmon leaves game

Even in a new ballpark located in the suburbs, the Rockies had a very typical Atlanta evening on Friday night. They made Julio Teheran, the man with the worst home ERA in all of baseball (6.98!), look like Greg Maddux. Teheran hurled 7¹⁄₃ innings of two-run baseball. He threw only 88 pitches, 69 for strikes, and walked no one. It was yet another example in a long line of struggling pitchers who have suddenly righted the ship when facing the Rockies.

Matt Kemp gave the Braves a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a homer to left-center because of course he did. Kurt Suzuki hit a solo shot in the bottom of the second and the Braves added two more runs before the end of the inning to give themselves a 5-run lead and essentially wrap the game up.

This was Chad Bettis’s worst performance since his return. He frequently left the ball up, his velocity was unimpressive and the Braves got hard contact off him frequently.

The Rockies got a run in the third when Trevor Story doubled and Charlie Blackmon knocked him in with a single, and another in the top of the seventh when Mark Reynolds hit a solo home run, his 27th. That was all they could muster.

Tyler Chatwood pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh for the Rockies. In the eighth Adam Ottavino gave up a double to Kemp that was nearly his second home run but didn’t allow the Braves to pad their lead, despite loading the bases and throwing 30 pitches.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Charlie Blackmon had to leave the game after he appeared to injure himself on a swing in the eighth inning. He landed awkwardly and grabbed his left hamstring before walking off under his own power. If the Rockies lose him for any period of time the offense will be in even deeper trouble.

Gerardo Parra reached with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and then Mark Reynolds hit a ball to the track that would have cut it to a one-run game if it had gone over the wall, but it stayed in the park and the game was over.

Maybe things will get better. Maybe they won’t. Tomorrow it’s Kyle Freeland vs. Sean Newcomb at 5:10 MDT.