DENVER (AP) — Bryce Elder pitched six solid innings, Michael Harris II hit a tiebreaking double in the fifth and the Atlanta Braves beat the skidding Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Monday night.
Colorado has dropped seven straight games and 15 of 16 to fall to 4-24, the worst record in the majors.
Elder (1-1) gave up a three-run homer in the first to Hunter Goodman but settled down to scatter three hits the rest of the way. He struck out four and walked two in matching his season high for innings.
Raisel Iglesias struck out Brenton Doyle looking with a runner aboard to earn his fifth save.
Nick Allen had three hits and Eli White, Alex Verdugo and Sean Murphy added two apiece for Atlanta, which has won eight of 10 following a 5-13 start.
The Rockies led 3-0 on Goodman’s fifth homer but Atlanta chipped away. The Braves got two runs in the third and tied it in the fourth on Allen’s RBI single.
Harris put Atlanta ahead when he laced a two-out double to right-center off Ryan Feltner (0-2).
The Braves added a run in the seventh on Murphy’s single.
Key moment
Jordan Beck led off the bottom of the eighth with his second double and Ryan McMahon followed with a walk. But then Daysbel Hernández got Goodman to fly out and fanned Michael Toglia before Mickey Moniak lined out to first base to end the threat.
Key stat
Colorado starters fell to 2-18 this season. Antonio Senzatela and Chase Dollander, who won his major league debut, are the only members of the rotation with a win.
Up next
Colorado will send RHP Germán Márquez (0-4, 9.30 ERA) to the mound for the second game of the series. The Braves had not announced a scheduled starter.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Michael Kelly, The Associated Press
