The Braves got back into the win column on Thursday night as the bullpen was superb and the bats did just enough to squeak out a 6-5 victory.
Atlanta took an early lead as Jorge Soler bopped one the other way in the first to go up 1-0. Austin Riley followed in the top of third with a two-run double into the gap to push the advantage to 3-0.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off for Touki Toussaint in the bottom half of the third. Charlie Blackmon came to the plate with the bases loaded and launched one over the wall to quickly give the Rockies a 5-3 lead. Touki would get off of the inning without further damage, but he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth. It will be interesting to see how the Braves handle Touki in the month of September.
The Braves battled back in the fifth. Freddie Freeman led off with a double followed by a Coors Field bloop single from Austin Riley. Dansby Swanson flew out to left to plate Freeman, and then Adam Duvall hammered a ball 477 feet to push the Braves back on top, 6-5.
The bullpen, after a few rough nights in Los Angeles, was superb across six innings. Jacob Webb tossed two scoreless, followed by clean innings from Jesse Chavez, Richard Rodriguez and Luke Jackson. Will Smith closed things out in the ninth to get the Braves back into the win column.
The Braves and Rockies will continue the four-game series on Friday night as Huascar Ynoa battles Antonio Senzatela (3-9, 4.18 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET.
