DENVER -- Ryan McMahon ran hard to first because he wasn't sure his line drive would get over the fence. When it bounced just over the scoreboard, he settled into a home run trot and into a mob of teammates at the plate.
McMahon's hit -- a two-run home run in the ninth -- lifted Colorado to a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday and ended the Rockies' four-game losing streak.
McMahon saw two fastballs from Jerry Blevins before hitting the third one just over the scoreboard in right for the second game-ending home run of his career.
"He's kind of a funky lefty, has a little crossfire and he went two fastballs to me early, which I thought was kind of weird," said McMahon, who has 18 home runs this season. "I felt like it was a little too predictable for it to be a curveball next pitch. I was looking for something over the plate and put a good swing at it."
Blevins said it was poor location that gave McMahon something to hit.
"I wanted to go down and away and I left it up and in the middle," he said. "That was on me."
Nolan Arenado started the inning with a walk off Anthony Swarzak (1-2), and Blevins fanned Daniel Murphy before McMahon's home run.
"I dropped my bat and started running," McMahon said. "I didn't know right away so I wanted to make it to second base."
Jairo Diaz (5-3) blew the save in the ninth but got the win.
Monday was a makeup from the April 10th game postponed due to inclement weather and forced Atlanta to criss-cross the country.
The Braves, who had their eight-game winning streak snapped, traveled to Denver on Sunday night after playing in New York, and right after the game boarded a plane for Toronto to take on the Blue Jays.
"You don't belabor or dwell on it because it's what we signed up to do," Atlanta Manager Brian Snitker said. "It's not going to be all the time. We have an off day in two days. It isn't like we came out here and now have to play 25 in a row."
Colorado starter Tim Melville pitched five scoreless innings and now has allowed just one run over 12 innings since being recalled from Class AAA Albuquerque last week. The 29-year-old journeyman was pitching in the Atlantic League this spring before signing a minor-league deal with Colorado.
He escaped a run in the fourth when Freddie Freeman was thrown out at home trying to score from second, and in the fifth he walked Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies to load the bases but got Freeman to ground out to end another threat.
Atlanta starter Julio Teheran didn't allow a run over six innings and has a 13-inning scoreless streak.
The Rockies took a 1-0 lead in the eighth on Charlie Blackmon's sacrifice fly but Atlanta tied it in the ninth when pinch-hitter Adeiny Hechavarria drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
REDS 6, MARLINS 3 Sonny Gray pitched six effective innings, Freddy Galvis drove in four runs and the visiting Cincinnati Reds beat the Miami Marlins. Gray (10-6) walked 5, but limited Miami to 2 runs and 4 hits. Galvis had three hits and Eugenio Suarez hit his 36th homer for the Reds, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
PHILLIES 6, PIRATES 5 (11) Sean Rodriguez lined a home run leading off the bottom of the 11th inning to give the host Philadelphia Phillies a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Josh Bell hit a solo homer off Philadelphia closer Hector Neris to tie it at 5-5 in the ninth after Corey Dickerson hit a two-run shot against his former team in the eighth to give the Phillies a one-run lead.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ATHLETICS 19, ROYALS 4 Marcus Semien hit a home run, tripled and drove in a career-high seven runs as the visiting Oakland Athletics set season highs for runs and hits in a thrashing of the Kansas City Royals. Jurickson Profar, Matt Chapman and Khris Davis also went deep for the A's, who are locked in a tight race with Cleveland and Tampa Bay for the two American League wild cards. Josh Phegley drove in three runs and scored three times. Four players had three hits and every starter got at least one as Oakland finished with 22.
Sports on 08/27/2019