Rockies explode in final three innings to pummel Braves, 10-1

ATLANTA — Rockies Report, Game 71:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Austin Gomber was exquisite in his 2025 debut after missing the first two and a half months following left shoulder surgery, and the offense exploded in a six-run seventh inning to allow Colorado to blast the Braves 10-1 and salvage a win from a three-game series at Truist Park.

No-hit through five innings, Colorado finally awakened in the seventh when Ryan McMahon led off with a solo shot off Grant Holmes, who had confounded the Rox for most of the humid afternoon at Truist Park, striking them out 15 times.

“The first half of the game didn’t go our way. We could have easily just thrown in the towel and been like, ‘Hey, probably gonna lose this one, something like that,'” McMahon said. “But the boys stayed locked in, and I felt that, and I wanted to go out there and put up a good at-bat, and I got a pitch I could handle and put a good swing on it.”

McMahon had struck out in seven consecutive at-bats before that blast, including two on Sunday.

It put Colorado in front to stay, although it took a bit more before the Rox transformed it into a laugher. Holmes rallied, striking out Thairo Estrada and then walked Brenton Doyle, leaving him at 93 pitches. At that point, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker relieved Holmes at 93 pitches.

This proved to be a mistake, as the Rockies clobbered reliever Enyel De Los Santos.

Orlando Arcia and Ryan Ritter laced singles and loaded the bases. Then, Braxton Fulford drew an eight-pitch walk, bringing home Brenton Doyle to pad the lead to 3-1.

Jordan Beck then lined a De Los Santos offering to left field, scoring Arcia and Ritter to break the game wide open.

Small ball, big runs pic.twitter.com/w4mOl7BpJo

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 15, 2025

Tyler Freeman drove home another run after Jose Ruiz relieved De Los Santos. Beck scored on a balk before the dust settled.

Finally, Braxton Fulford capped a five-RBI day with a bases-clearing triple in the eighth off Aaron Bummer, dropping a bloop over Matt Olson’s head down the right-field line. It bounced toward the corner, clearing the bases to provide the final 10-1 margin.

A PERFECT 10!!! pic.twitter.com/63Bc1YJr3O

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 15, 2025

“We just strung things together,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer said.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Perfect through three innings, Gomber carried a no-hitter through 4 2/3 before Michael Harris II dropped a shallow fly ball inches from the left-field foul line and just out of reach, spoiling the non-no.

Gomber opened beautifully, mowing down Atlanta’s top three hitters in order to open the game, capping the 10-pitch first inning by freezing Matt Olson with a curveball. He retired the next six Braves in order before walking Ronald Acuña Jr. to open the fourth inning, but then he settled in and sat down the next five Atlanta batters before Harris’ perfectly-placed bloop.

Schaeffer opted to relieve Gomber after five innings and 76 pitches, a move that Gomber said was planned to keep him from facing the Atlanta lineup for a third time in his first start back.

Gomber never allowed an Atlanta batter to advance beyond second base.

Jake Bird relieved Gomber in the sixth inning and allowed the first four Braves he faced to reach base as he faced the top of the order, but only Austin Riley came home.

Bird was aided by a Beck-to-McMahon put-out of Acuña down the third-base line before rallying to retire Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy and escape with just one run allowed.

When the offense exploded in the seventh inning, Bird received credit for the win.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Beck’s two-RBI double increased Colorado’s lead to 5-1 in the seventh inning and chased De Los Santos.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 35 — Strikeouts over the last two days, setting a club record for a two-game span that did not involve extra innings. The Rockies set a new club single-game nine-inning standard with 19 strikeouts Saturday.

WHAT’S NEXT: A four-game set with the Nationals in D.C. Carson Palmquist, called back to the big club, will start Monday night. Jake Irvin will start for the Nats. First pitch at Navy Yard will be at 4:45 p.m. MDT.

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