The Atlanta Braves defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-1, led by Chris Sale's dominant pitching performance, striking out 11 batters over 7 innings. The Braves secured their 10th series win of the season and improved their record to 23-10.
Key points
Braves won 9-1 against Rockies
Chris Sale pitched 7 innings with 11 strikeouts
Drake Baldwin hit a two-run homer
Braves improved to 23-10 record
10 series wins through 11 series
Atlanta BravesColorado RockiesChris SaleDrake Baldwin
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 02: Pitcher Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves throws against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Coors Field on May 02, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 02: Pitcher Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves throws against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Coors Field on May 02, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With a chance to secure the series win, the Braves had ace Chris Sale on the mound at Coors Field with young Rockies star Chase Dollander expected to take the mound after an opener.
The Braves followed my recommendation in the first inning, jumping on the opener Brennan Bernardino, as Ronald hit a line drive single and Drake Baldwin sent an opposite field shot over the left field wall for a two-run homer. Ozzie doubled before Bernardino recorded two outs and was yanked for Dollander to face Dubon. That’s a pretty disastrous opener scenario for Colorado. Dubon walked, but Austin Riley struck out to end the inning.
Chris Sale worked a clean first and handed things back to the offense. Jorge Mateo doubled with one out in the second and advanced to third on a groundout. Unfortunately, Ronald pulled up limping on that play and appeared to have injured his hamstring, walking off under his own power. Drake Baldwin brought Mateo home with a opposite field line drive single. The next threat was in the bottom of the third, as the Rockies got a leadoff single from Karros. made a spectacular sprinting catch, crashing into the wall in center field, robbing double bases and an RBI for the first out of the inning. That was a big deal, as the Rockies ended up getting an RBI double, but that easily could have been a 2 or 3 run inning without that catch.
The Braves broke things open in the fourth, however, scoring three runs on an Austin Riley walk, a Jorge Mateo infield single, an bunt single, and a Drake Baldwin frozen rope double. Atlanta now carried a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, where Chris Sale worked around a walk for another scoreless frame. Onto the fifth and Michael Harris doubled ahead of Austin Riley, who absolutely launched a homer off a 98 MPH fastball into the left field seats. That’s Austin’s second productive game straight at the plate, as getting real production from him would be huge for this team.
Chris Sale lost his command to start the bottom of the fifth, walking the first two batters. This seemed to frustrate Sale a bit, as he started pumping upper 90s with his fastball. One soft grounder and two strikeouts later, the inning was over with no damage done. The game settled down from here, and Sale completed two more innings, finishing with a flourish of three consecutive strikeouts following a leadoff single in the seventh. Chris ended up with 7.0 innings of 1-run ball with a season-high 11 strikeouts on a monstrous 20 whiffs.
pitched a clean eighth inning and launched a moonshot of a solo homer in the ninth, at just under 110 MPH off the bat and a 39 degree launch angle, his 11th homer of this young season.
got mop-up duty in the ninth, with an eight run cushion. He had no issue finishing the game, with some assistance from a tailor-made double play to end the ballgame. That’s now 10 series wins and one split through 11 series and a 23-10 record for Atlanta. They will go for a sweep behind the returning tomorrow.
Q&A
What was Chris Sale's performance in the game against the Rockies?
Chris Sale pitched 7 innings, allowing only 1 run and striking out 11 batters.
How did the Braves score their runs in the game?
The Braves scored runs through a combination of home runs, doubles, and singles, including a two-run homer by Drake Baldwin.
What was the final score of the Braves vs. Rockies game on May 2, 2026?
The final score was 9-1 in favor of the Atlanta Braves.
What is the Braves' record after the game against the Rockies?
After the game, the Braves improved their record to 23-10.
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