Big hit eludes Rockies as Braves win series opener 6-4

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 28: Zac Veen #13 of the Colorado Rockies slides into third base during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After splitting a series against the Washington Nationals, the Colorado Rockies looked to start the series in Atlanta on a high note. Despite a solid night offensively, the Rockies left a small village on the base paths as the big hit eluded them and couldn’t keep pace with a dangerous Braves offense.

A tough night in Atlanta for Tomo

Hoping to break a string of difficult starts, the cards were not in Tomoyuki Sugano’s (菅野 智之) favor against the Braves. Things looked promising as Sugano worked a quick 1-2-3 first inning, a far cry from the 45 pitches he threw in his last outing. Unfortunately for Sugano, the Braves picked away at him in the second inning to build a 3-0 lead.

Ronald Acuña Jr. led off with a walk and came in to score on a double from Michael Harris II. After Maricio Dubón flew out, advancing Harris to third base, and Mike Yastrzemski struck out, Sean Murphy delivered an RBI double down the line to score another run. Ha-Seong Kim was then hit by a pitch, setting the table for Drake Baldwin to shoot a ball up the middle to score a third run.

Dubón added another RBI single in the third inning to increase the lead to 4-0. Sugano managed a harmless fourth inning, and his offense closed the deficit in the top of the fifth inning, but his night would be over after just three batters when he came back out to pitch. Acuña smoked the first pitch he saw all the way to the wall for a double, and then Harris launched a two-run home run on the second pitch of the inning to give the Braves a 6-3 lead. Dubón’s single delivered the final blow to knock Sugano out of the game.

Once again, Sugano’s command eluded him. Due to the Atlanta heat and humidity, he struggled to grip the baseball and ended up having to rely on his fastball much more than usual. As a result, he threw 91 pitches, 58 strikes, and allowed six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and one walk. He wasn’t able to dip into his secondaries and was often working behind hitters, and the contact started to get harder and harder by the time that fifth inning rolled around.

“He got behind in the count again,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Not a lot executed tonight. Got hit pretty hard there. It’s just been a tough couple of times out for Tomo.”

Bullpen boys keep it in reach

The Rockies bullpen has continued to do their job and pick up quite a bit of slack from the rotation and this game was no different.

Mark Manfredi relieved Sugano in the fifth inning and continued to impress in his young career . He ended up throwing two solid innings, giving up just three hits and striking out one batter. He was then replaced by Juan Mejia, who tossed a scoreless inning, allowing just one hit. Brennan Bernardino then faced the minimum in the eighth inning.

They combined for just four hits over four innings on 49 total pitches.

The quest for the big hit

Once again, the Rockies found themselves searching for the big hit in the game on offense. In the second inning, the Rockies had something promising after TJ Rumfield walked and Willi Castro singled to put runners on first and second against Grant Holmes. Mickey Moniak smoked a liner to first base that was snagged by Matt Olson for the first out. Connor Norby then grounded into a double play to end the inning.

In the fourth inning, Rumfield singled and was then replaced on the bases by Castro after he grounded into a fielder’s choice. Moniak singled to put men on the corners, but Norby grounded out to end the threat once again.

They finally broke through in the fifth inning against Holmes when Zac Veen, who recorded his first multi-hit game, singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a base hit from Ezequiel Tovar. Jake McCarthy got the Rockies on the board with a sacrifice fly to center field. Cole Carrigg tallied a base hit and Tovar came in to score the Rockies’ second run on a single by Hunter Goodman. The third run of the inning came when Rumfield grounded out to the shortstop, allowing Carrigg to score from third.

The string of hits made it a one-run game at the time before the Harris home run in the bottom half of the inning. It also ended Holmes’s night after the fifth inning as he allowed three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

“All year… we pass the baton,” Schaeffer said. “That’s why our offense is so much better this year. Selfless baseball, just trying to get on for the next guy, that’s what we do.”

Facing the dangerous Braves bullpen, the Rockies threatened Ray Kerr in the seventh inning, but couldn’t get the big hit to shift the momentum of the game. McCarthy was hit by a pitch, Goodman singled, and Rumfield walked to load the bases with one out. Castro sent the first pitch he saw to center field for a sacrifice fly to give the Rockies their fourth run of the game. Unfortunately, the Rockies couldn’t get more as the left-on-left matchup for Moniak resulted in a strikeout to end the inning.

The eighth inning continued the theme on offense. Veen drew a one-out walk and moved up to third on a two-out single by McCarthy. With men on the corners and two outs, Carrigg ripped a ball to second base that was gathered by Ozzie Albies. Carrigg flew down the line, forcing a bang-bang play at the bag, and was called out. The Rockies challenged, but the call was upheld, ending the inning.

Goodman secured his third hit of the night with a single in the ninth off of Raisel Iglesias, but was quickly erased on a double-play. Castro then lined out softly courtesy of a diving catch by Albies to end the game. That was a common trend on the night as well, as the Braves continued to make some impressive defensive plays to rob the Rockies of hits that could have drastically altered the game for them.

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Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →