Charlie Blackmon hits grand slam as Rockies lose to Braves at Coors Field

The Rockies produced runs successful conscionable 1 inning Thursday nighttime and fell 6-5 to the Atlanta  Braves astatine Coors Field.

Colorado, which deed into 3 inning-ending treble plays, was opening a seven-game homestand — the archetypal 4 against Atlanta — aft closing retired a nine-game travel with a triumph connected Wednesday astatine Texas.

The Braves (71-62), who had mislaid their past 3 games, received clutch swings from 3rd baseman Austin Riley and halfway fielder Adam Duvall, who each had 2 RBI connected extra-base hits.

A expansive slam successful the 3rd inning by Rockies close fielder Charlie Blackmon capped a five-running inning to springiness the hosts a 5-3 lead. But successful the apical of the fifth, a two-run homer by Duvall capped a three-run inning arsenic the Braves retook the lead, 6-5.

Rockies reliever Yency Almonte allowed each 3 runs connected 3 hits, opening with consecutive singles by Freddie Freeman and Riley. Duvall past made Almonte pay.

Duvall besides made a large antiaircraft play. He robbed Rockies leadoff batter Connor Joe of other bases to extremity the seventh inning. Duvall caught Joe’s agelong blast astatine the wrong borderline of the center-field wall.

From the outset, Blackmon and 3rd baseman Ryan McMahon deed into treble plays to extremity Colorado’s archetypal and 2nd innings earlier it got immoderate luck and enactment unneurotic a drawstring of prime at-bats.

Trailing 3-0 to statesman the bottommost of the third, Rockies catcher Elias Diaz was deed by a transportation successful the backmost of the caput by Braves starter Touki Toussaint. After a hold to measure Diaz, Rockies starter Chi Chi Gonzalez enactment down a bunt with 1 retired and Toussaint chose to effort to get Diaz astatine second. But his propulsion was off-target and Diaz was safe. Joe past singled, scoring Diaz, earlier Brendan Rodgers blooped a azygous to load the bases.

Blackmon past connected for his 4th vocation expansive slam, and archetypal since Sept. 11, 2020, against the Angels. It was the 10th expansive slam of the play for the Rockies, tying them with the Braves for the league lead.

Atlanta built an aboriginal 3-0 lead. In the archetypal inning, Jorge Soler launched an opposite-field solo location run, astatine an estimated region of 407 feet to close field. And successful the third, Riley’s treble to near scored leadoff hitter Eddie Rosario and Soler, who some singled.

McMahon singled to pb disconnected the ninth inning for Colorado. But Diaz struck retired and pinch hitter Garrett Hampson deed into a treble play.