Denver, CO – Matt Diaz crossed the plate with the go- ahead run on a bases-loaded walk as part of a four-run seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied from a six-run deficit to claim a 13-9 win over the Colorado Rockies in the middle test of a three-game set at Coors Field.
Chipper Jones went 3-for-6 with five RBI, Diaz and Jason Heyward hit solo home runs, Michael Bourn added an RBI and scored three times, while Freddie Freeman had two RBI and Brian McCann had two hits and an RBI for the Braves, who rallied from at least a five-run hole for the second consecutive night.
Cristhian Martinez (2-0) tossed a scoreless sixth to earn the win, while Esmil Rodgers (0-2) was tagged for five runs on three hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings.
"In this ballpark you never know. You don't give in," Gonzalez said of the comeback.
Michael Cuddyer clubbed a grand slam, Wilin Rosario added a solo homer and a two-run shot and Carlos Gonzalez finished 4-for-4 with a two-run double for the Rockies. who have dropped three of their last four games.
"It's hard when you go down like this after scoring six runs early in the game...everything just blew up," Gonzalez said.
Trailing, 8-3 in the sixth, the Braves struck for five runs. Diaz and Heyward crushed back-to-back solo homers off Rockies starter Jamie Moyer. Rodgers was called in from the Colorado bullpen with a man on and walked pinch-hitter Juan Francisco and Bourn followed with a base hit to load the bags with no outs.
Jones smoked a hard liner up the middle to score Tyler Pastornicky and Francisco to make it 8-7, and Bourn scored on a groundout by Freeman later in the frame.
The Braves took the lead for good in the seventh. Diaz singled and Heyward walked before both runners moved up on a errant pickoff throw by Rodgers. Pinch-hitter Martin Prado was then plunked to load the bases with one out.
Rex Brothers was summoned from the bullpen and walked Bourn to give Atlanta a 9-8 lead. Jones followed and hit a two-run single, and Bourn scored on a sac fly to make it 12-8.
Rosario cracked his second homer of the game in the home seventh to pull Colorado within three, but after a rain delay of 69 minutes, Atlanta added a run in the ninth when Prado scored on an error by center fielder Tyler Colvin.
The Rockies jumped out on top with four runs in their first at-bat. Dexter Fowler drew a one-out walk and Gonzalez singled before Todd Helton walked two batters later to load the bases. Cuddyer followed and squared up a 3-2 changeup from Mike Minor and sent it over the wall in left-center.
The Rockies tacked on two more runs in the second when Moyer and Marco Scutaro stroked back-to-back singles and both runners scored on a double to deep center by Gonzalez to make it 6-0.
Atlanta got a run back in the third when Bourn reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a groundout by Jones, and came across the plate on an error by Gonzalez.
Jones doubled home Minor, who singled to start the inning, and then scored on a single up the middle by McCann in the fifth to cut the Colorado lead to 6-3.
Colorado got two runs back in the home fifth when Cuddyer drew a walk and Rosario followed by blasting a middle-in fastball deep into the seats in left- center.
Game Notes
It was Cuddyer's sixth career grand slam...Minor gave up eight runs on 10 hits and four walks while fanning four over five innings in his first career start against the Rockies...Moyer yielded six runs -- five earned -- on 10 hits and a walk with one strikeout in five-plus frames,,, Bourn extended his hitting streak to nine games...It was Jones' 18th career five-RBI game.
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