Braves Batter Rockies Again, This Time 9-0

Unlike the two previous games, the Braves didn't even give the Rockies a chance tonight.

It all started with the offense. Freddie Freeman - 4-for-4 with a BB - got things started with an RBI single in the first. After not scoring anything in the second inning due to a blown call on a play at the plate, the Braves busted out for 7 in the third, the third consecutive game with a 6+-run inning - according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's the first time the Braves have done it since 1900.

Jason Heyward started off with a walk, and Justin Upton followed with a single. Freeman and Evan Gattis would follow with singles of their own, but Brian McCann would add another home run - another 3-run blast - to put the Braves up 6-0. Even Mike Minor got into the act with his own RBI single, and after Heyward's RBI groundout, the score was 8-0.

That was all Minor needed. The staff ace went 7 innings and gave up a whopping 2 hits with 6 strikeouts and no walks. He looked comfortable out there, and with a huge lead, why wouldn't he be? The Rockies never threatened to score against Minor. The interesting note about his performance was the use of his cutter, and we'll have to wait until the PITCH f/x results are published tomorrow to see what the percentages where on how often he threw it.

The Rockies did almost finally score in the ninth. Luis Ayala, in to finish off the last two innings, didn't get much help from his defense as Chris Johnson made a throwing error to start the inning, but Ayala did give up a single to follow. Ayala, however, recovered to strike out the next two hitters and get a groundout to preserve the shutout.

Weirdest moment of the game was having the home plate umpire leave in the middle. Simmons' jersey was grazed by a pitch, but it didn't hit anything else until it hit the umpire's left forearm, leaving a dent and possibly breaking it.

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