Rockies 5, Braves 1
ATLANTA - Right-hander Chad Bettis returned from the disabled list to win his first game since July 12 and second baseman D.J. LeMahieu drove in three runs for the Colorado Rockies in a 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday at Turner Field.
Bettis (6-4) spent more than a month on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation. He returned to pitch five innings and allow one run, five hits and two walks while striking out four. Bettis also picked up his first career base hit.
LeMahieu went 3-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and scored a run. He now has 50 RBIs.
The win ended Colorado's four-game losing streak and their five-game road losing streak. Atlanta has lost eight of nine.
Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz (4-6) pitched five innings and allowed four hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. He allowed four runs, all of them unearned, and lowered his ERA from 6.06 to 5.71.
Atlanta got three shutout innings of relief from Sugar Ray Merimon and Peter Moylan before Matt Marksberry yielded a run in the ninth.
The Braves had a chance to get back in the game in the seventh inning but were unable to capitalize. Colorado reliever Tommy Kahnle walked two batters, got a double play, and walked two more batters to load the bases. Left-hander Christian Friedrich struck out first baseman Freddie Freeman to end the threat.
The Rockies jumped in front with two unearned runs in the first inning against Foltynewicz. LeMahieu and center fielder Charlie Blackmon had back-to-back singles with one out. Blackmon's hit extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado hit what appeared to be a double-play ball to third base, but it went under the glove of third baseman Adonis Garcia and allowed LeMahieu to score. First baseman Ben Paulsen followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to give Colorado a 2-0 lead.
Colorado scored another pair of unearned runs to take a 4-0 lead in the fourth. Garcia booted a routine grounder from catcher Nick Hundley to open the inning, and the Rockies loaded the bases when right fielder Matt McBride was hit by a pitch and Bettis walked. After shortstop Jose Reyes struck out on a high fastball, LeMahieu lined a 3-2 pitch into center field to score two runs.
Atlanta trimmed the lead to 4-1 with a run in the fifth. Right fielder Nick Markakis completed a 10-pitch at-bat by lining an RBI single up the middle to plate shortstop Andrelton Simmons.
NOTES: Colorado RF Carlos Gonzalez was out of the starting lineup with right knee soreness. He left the game early on Monday and manager Walt Weiss decided to be cautious. The Rockies dropped CF Charlie Blackmon from the leadoff spot to the No. 3 hole and put SS Jose Reyes at the top of the order. ... RF Brandon Barnes was a pregame scratch because of a stomach illness. He was replaced in the lineup by Kyle Parker. ... Atlanta gave CF Cameron Maybin a night off in favor of Michael Bourn. ... Colorado RHP Kyle Kendrick threw a 45-pitch simulated game on Tuesday. The club will determine when Kendrick will make a rehab start. He has been on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation since Aug. 1. Pitching matchups for the finale of the three-game series on Wednesday: Colorado LHP Johan Flande (3-1, 3.94 ERA) vs. Atlanta RHP Shelby Miller (5-10, 2.50 ERA).