Home run balls bite Braves at Coors Field

DENVER — Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez and pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds made their homers count Thursday night in a 7-3 victory over the Braves at Coors Field.

Gonzalez’s three-run homer in the sixth inning, off Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz, carried a 114.1-mph exit velocity and a projected distance of 459 feet — the second-hardest and second-longest homer for Gonzalez this year, according to Statcast™. More important, it was his first homer in 23 plate appearances and, even better, his first homer in a Rockies’ win in 73 plate appearances since June 27.

Gonzalez’s 20th homer this season backed starter Chad Bettis, who held the Braves to one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings and fanned four while helping the Rockies improve to 4-3 since the All-Star break. The only run off Bettis came on A.J. Pierzynski’s one-out, RBI double in the seventh. But with Pierzynski at third, reliever Adam Ottavino struck out pinch-hitter Brandon Snyder, and Reynolds opened the seventh with his 10th homer of the year — a 484-foot shot that was the second-longest in the Majors this year, according to Statcast™.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDScore one against Pierzynski: In Friday’s meeting in Atlanta, Pierzynski’s two-run homer off Bettis was a key reason Bettis ended up with a no-decision in a 4-3 Rockies victory. In the second inning Thursday, Bettis won at a key time. With two on and one out, Bettis forced Pierzynski into a double-play grounder.

Folty’s shaky command: Foltynewicz issued a season-high five walks and allowed three runs over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander recorded four of his five strikeouts after the fourth inning, but his inconsistent command bit him as he walked Charlie Blackmon to begin the decisive sixth …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com