Trevor Story and Brendan Rodgers homer in Rockies victory at Braves

Are the Rockies yet solving their season-long roadworthy woes?

Colorado defeated the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, connected Tuesday nighttime astatine Truist Park to amended the squad to 4-1 astatine the halfway constituent of its existent 10-game roadworthy trip. Trevor Story and Brendan Rodgers some homered to bolster a resilient Jon Gray start.

The Rockies (67-78) play again connected Wednesday successful their 2nd of 3 games successful Atlanta. Colorado improved to 22-51 distant from Coors Field this year.

The Rockies overcame an aboriginal scare connected Tuesday. Gray, successful his archetypal at-bat, appeared to instrumentality a transportation disconnected his close fingertips connected a bunt effort facing Atlanta starter Touki Toussaint. Gray initially winced successful symptom arsenic diversion trainers examined him for respective moments. He returned to the sheet and struck out.

Gray — aft repeatedly flexing his close manus — stayed successful the crippled to pitch. He didn’t look fazed.

Gray fanned 7 Braves and threw strikes connected 61-of-90 pitches implicit 5 innings. He gave up a tying tally successful the fourth, 2-2, aft consecutive doubles from Travis d’Arnaud and Dansby Swanson. But Gray retired the Braves successful bid to extremity the 5th and helium got plentifulness of tally support.

Story’s caller powerfulness surge continued successful the 2nd with a location tally blasted 430-feet to center. Then Ryan McMahon walked, Elias Diaz singled, and Garrett Hampson gave Colorado a 2-1 pb with an RBI single. Rodgers enactment Colorado up successful the fifth, 4-2, with a two-run homer aft Raimel Tapia singled. Hampson tripled successful the sixth and scored connected a Rio Ruiz sacrifice fly.

Colorado’s bullpen operation of Daniel Bard and Tyler Kinley held the Braves scoreless.

Atlanta clawed backmost successful the eighth, 5-4, with an Adam Duvall two-run homer disconnected Rockies’ reliever Jhoulys Chacin. But Carlos Estevez earned his eighth prevention of the season.

Gray got disconnected to a unsmooth commencement successful the archetypal with 3 allowed hits, including a Freddy Freeman RBI single, for an aboriginal 1-0 Braves advantage.

Hilliard’s dada loses ALS battle. The Rockies household has mislaid a cherished parental unit successful the clubhouse. Jim Hilliard, the begetter of outfielder Sam Hilliard, died connected Sunday arsenic the effect of ALS — besides known arsenic Lou Gehrig’s illness — aft being diagnosed successful 2018. The household announced his passing connected Tuesday successful a Twitter station (@TeamHilliardALS): Our Jim Hilliard conquered ALS aboriginal Sunday, September 12, 2021, and near his breached assemblage down for glory and eternity with his Heavenly Father. ALS is cruel, but Jim Hilliard faced it with courage, grace, and a religion that was amazing. We volition miss him.

Our Jim Hilliard conquered ALS aboriginal Sunday, September 12, 2021, and near his breached assemblage down for glory and eternity with his Heavenly Father. ALS is cruel, but Jim Hilliard faced it with courage, grace, and a religion that was amazing. We volition miss him♥️#endals #faith #family pic.twitter.com/lEpAZbW81y

— Team Hilliard (@TeamHilliardALS) September 14, 2021

Jim’s wife, Tamara, played a cardinal relation successful the readying for Major League Baseball to recognize June 2 arsenic Lou Gehrig Day to annually beforehand ALS awareness. Sam Hilliard did not play for the Rockies connected Tuesday against the Braves.

“Sam has handled this arsenic good arsenic anybody could grip it,” manager Bud Black said. “There person been immoderate affectional moments with Sam. But he’s kept his chin up and his thorax out. He’s represented his household and he’s represented the ALS cause. So galore radical person been determination close on with Sam and his household from our Rockies household to assistance bash everything we tin to get connected apical of this dreaded disease. But Sam has hung successful determination precise admirably.

“I’m precise arrogant of him.”