Denver, CO – Freddie Freeman hit a three-run homer, Brandon Beachy pitched into the seventh inning and the Braves earned a three-game sweep of the Rockies with a 7-2 win on Sunday.
Beachy (3-1) gave up two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five over 6 1/3 frames. Dan Uggla added a solo home run and drove in a pair for Atlanta, which recorded its first road sweep of the Rockies since 2003.
"There's a part of me that says you have to tip your cap to the job that (Beachy) did," said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. "What he did today is what we didn't do in the first two games of this series."
Michael Cuddyer and Tyler Colvin had an RBI apiece for Colorado, which fell to 12-15 on the season.
Juan Nicasio (2-1) allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks over five- plus innings to suffer the loss.
There were two down in the third inning when Michael Bourn and Martin Prado both singled ahead of Freeman's homer to right, which gave the Braves a 3-0 lead.
They loaded the bases with no outs an inning later and Tyler Pastornicky made it 4-0 with an RBI groundout before Beachy missed a bunt attempt. Both Juan Francisco and Pastornicky were caught trying to advance on the play, effectively retiring the side, but Atlanta managed to push two more runs across in the sixth.
Freeman began the frame with a triple and scored on Uggla's subsequent single. Jason Heyward followed with a walk and Uggla crossed the plate on Francisco's base hit for a 6-0 lead.
The Rockies scored their only runs in the seventh. Troy Tulowitzki led off with a single, advanced to second on a groundout and to third on a wild pitch before crossing the plate on Cuddyer's single. A base hit by Ramon Hernandez and a walk to Dexter Fowler loaded the bases and marked the end of Beachy's outing.
Colvin then scored Cuddyer with a fielder's choice groundout off of Cristhian Martinez, who retired Marco Scutaro to end the inning.
Uggla's homer in the eighth capped the scoring.
"We scored runs and we pitched great," Freeman said of the Braves' play throughout the series.
Game Notes
Atlanta's last road sweep of Colorado came August 22-24, 2003...Beachy has recorded a quality start in each of his last five outings...Bourn extended his hit streak to 10 games.
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