Braves at Rockies series recap: Typical Coors, Atypical Atlanta

Friday, May 1

*Braves 8, Rockies 6*

This one got off to an extremely poor start for Grant Holmes and the Braves, as the Rockies lit him up for five runs in the first inning and then added on another one in the second via a solo homer from Mickey Moniak to make it a 6-0 lead. That’s how it stayed through three innings as the Braves were forced to dig themselves out of a hole from the middle innings onward. Fortunately, Holmes ended up staying out there for five innings and was able to successfully pass the baton to Anthony Molina, Didier Fuentes and eventually, Robert Suarez. Now, how on Earth did Robert Suarez end up getting involved? That’s because Holmes calming down and the bullpen clamping down ended up being crucial as the Braves started to claw their way back. Matt Olson got the Braves on the board with a solo homer in the fourth and then it all came unraveled for Colorado once Jose Quintana exited the game following the sixth inning. A productive out from Jonah Heim cut the deficit to four runs in the seventh and then the eighth was when Atlanta delivered the haymaker. The top of the order managed to load up the bases with one out, which set the stage for Mauricio Dubón to continue his surprisingly-good start to the season at the plate with a big hit here. He didn’t hit it out but he hit it to the wall and in an outfield as big and expansive as Coors Field, that’s massive trouble. Dubón’s triple cleared the bases to tie the game and then he scored on a sacrifice fly from Ozzie Albies to tie it up in Atlanta. The ninth inning rolled around and Michael Harris II was called upon for pinch-hitting duty after Jonah Heim led off the frame with a walk. Sure enough, Money Mike was able to deliver another big hit off of the bench as he crushed one into the seats in right field to give the Braves-partisan crowd in Denver something to roar about. That’s how Robert Suarez ended up getting involved and making his fourth save of the season in order to complete a fantastic comeback win for the Braves.

Saturday, May 2

*Braves 9, Rockies 1*

This one was a bit more straight-forward for the Braves as they ended up rolling to a wire-to-wire beatdown of the Rockies in this one. Drake Baldwin crushed a dinger in the first inning and that was the first of three dingers for Atlanta in this one — and the first two RBI of four on the day for Baldwin. Austin Riley got some frustration out in the fifth inning with a two-run shot that made it 8-1 and then Matt Olson demolished a no-doubter in the ninth inning that brought us to our final score.

Sunday, May 3

*Braves 11, Rockies* 6

The initial story heading into this game was Spencer Strider’s 2026 regular season debut. This was always going to be a tricky way to start the season for Strider and sure enough, that was the case. He only made it through 3.1 innings and while he did strike out six batters, he walked five and conceded four hits on his way to giving up three runs during his time out there. It also didn’t help matters that Aaron Bummer came in and got knocked around for two runs while he recorded an inning’s worth of outs. Fortunately, it helped that the Rockies continued to provide little-to-no resistance to Atlanta’s lineup. In fact, this game was all about Jonah Heim, of all people. Heim went into this game with just three RBI to his name over the course of 11 games played. He now has eight, after he pushed five runs across the plate with his bat. Heim picked a great day to collect five RBI (his most in a single game since September 11, 2023 against the Blue Jays) since you can see what the score ended up being. Heim’s breakout ended up making a big difference as his efforts at the plate pushed the Braves to their second sweep so far this season — both on the road, no less!