The Atlanta Braves will try to keep their powerful offense moving on Saturday when they host the Colorado Rockies in the third game of a four-game series.
The Braves won the first two games of the set to extend their winning streak to four and have won 11 of their last 13. The Rockies have dropped three straight and nine of their last 12 games.
The pitching matchup Saturday will feature a pair of right-handers — Atlanta’s Bryce Elder (4-1, 2.69 ERA) against Colorado’s Connor Seabold (1-2, 4.70).
The Braves have totaled 32 runs and 39 hits over their last four games. They also have at least five runs in 11 of their 14 games in June and are 10-1 when doing so.
Atlanta has 15 home runs that have carried 450-plus feet this season, four shy of the record set during since the Statcast era began in 2015.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who hit two homers on Friday, including the 100th of his career. “From the first hitter on, we’ve got tremendous power. It’s really dangerous and makes for a tough night sleep the night before.”
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. failed to get a hit on Friday but still made history. He walked and stole his 30th base, making him the first player in major league history to have 15-plus homers and 30-plus steals within his team’s first 70 games. The only other Atlanta player to steal more bases through their first 70 games of a season was Otis Nixon with 46 in 1991.
“It’s exciting to see him set the table and eat off the table when runners are on base,” d’Arnaud said. “To be on his team and see him do it every day is special. I think he’s the MVP.”
The Rockies hope Seabold can give them a solid effort, something that Kyle Freeland and Dinelson Lamet failed to do in the first two games of the series.
Seabold will make his ninth start of the season. In his last outing on Monday, he allowed one run and struck out a season-high six against the Boston Red Sox.
“That’s the version that you’d like to see out of Connor and his stuff,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “Four pitches — fastball command to both sides of the plate, good changeup, slider, a couple of curveballs. A mix of pitches, changing speeds, disrupting timing of the hitters, crowding some guys on their hands.”
Seabold has no decisions and a 2.08 ERA in his last three appearances while striking out 15 in 17 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting only .180 against him since June 1. He has never faced the Braves.
Elder is coming off his worst start of the season on Sunday against Washington, when he took his first loss. He allowed a season-high five runs in 5 1/3 innings and struck out only one. He has given up nine runs over his last two starts and has seen his ERA jump to 2.69.
Elder hasn’t faced the Rockies in his career.
–Field Level Media
