Rockies swept by Braves, give up record 12 homers in four games

Atlanta Braves’ Eddie Rosario, center right, celebrates with Marcell Ozuna (20) after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Home run derby? Demolition derby? Take your pick, call it what you will.

The Braves slugged four more homers in a 14-6 rout Sunday afternoon at Truist Field to complete a four-game sweep and send the stumbling Rockies to their fifth consecutive loss.

Rockies pitchers served up 12 homers over the series, the most home runs ever surrendered by Colorado in a four-game road set.

“We just couldn’t stop them,” manager Bud Black told reporters in Atlanta. “That group over there? There are a lot of guys going well. I’d say seven guys in their lineup are really, really hot and that’s tough to overcome. We just couldn’t stop … we couldn’t overcome how there are swinging the bats.”

Right-hander Chase Anderson, the Rockies’ best starter for the past month, was called on to quiet Atlanta’s hot bats. Nothing doing.

“My fastball command was erratic today,” Anderson told reporters. “The first inning was pretty good but then I couldn’t get the ball where I wanted it to go. When you do that in this league, it’s hard to pitch with just your secondary stuff.

Anderson departed after three-plus innings having given up seven runs on seven hits and four walks.

“That’s a great team,” Anderson said. “You tip your cap up and down the lineup. They are on fire right now, they are on a roll. We have to be able to move on from this to the next series.”

Eddie Rosario — 3 for 4, two homers, six RBIs — launched a three-run homer in the second, and Ozziel Albies smacked a three-run blast in the fourth.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Anderson throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Colorado’s starting pitching woes are getting worse by the day. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Colorado has now played 25 consecutive games without a starting pitcher getting a win, extending the franchise record. The previous high was 21 games.

Believe it or not, the Rockies led the game 5-0 in the middle of the second inning. They got a two-run homer by red-hot Ryan McMahon in the first and scored three more runs on veteran Charlie Morton in the second, the RBI hits provided by Harold Castro and Brenton Doyle.

McMahon, who hit 3 for 4 to raise his average to .278., also hit a leadoff homer in the seventh.

“Mac has been a bright spot, for sure,” Black said. “It’s good to see. He’s taken on a responsibility, hitting in the middle of the order and playing good defense.”

But McMahon’s nice day was obliterated by the mighty Atlanta offense that scored a season-high 14 runs on 18 hits. Michael Harris II launched a three-run homer off Matt Carasiti in the fifth and Rosario hit a two-run homer off Brent Suter in the sixth. Harris, the No. 9 hitter, went 5 for 5 and drove in three runs.

The Rockies, 2-5 on their 10-day road trip, open a three-game series at Cincinnati on Monday night against the resurgent Reds. The Reds beat the Astros Sunday to extend their winning streak to eight games, the longest active streak in the majors and the Reds’ longest since a 10-game streak in July 2012, when they went on to win the National League Central.

Asked if the humbling sweep in Atlanta will hang over the Rockies in Cincinnati, Black answered: “These guys are pros, they’ll get through this. This is not the first time they’ve been beaten and been outpitched and outplayed.

“These guys will bounce back tomorrow. I have no issue with that. These guys are playing hard, which is a positive. I’m proud of our guys. They’re still fighting. We got outplayed.”