Upton brothers hit back-to-back homers as Braves down Rockies

Denver, CO – B.J. and Justin Upton hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning as the Atlanta Braves completed a doubleheader sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Coors Field, 10-2.

Justin Upton brings his Major League leading home run total to 11 after also going yard in the first game of the twin bill -- a 4-3 Braves victory. Both Uptons and Gerald Laird finished with two RBI while Juan Francisco added a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. The Braves bounced back after losing three straight entering the day.

"It's fun, it's fun," said Justin Upton. "He had me excited about his good swing and I got a good pitch to hit too."

Julio Teheran (1-0) went seven strong innings for Atlanta and allowed just one run and eight hits. He also handled his business at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt.

Eric Young went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored while Michael Cuddyer went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Colorado, which has dropped three in a row after eight consecutive wins.

Rockies starter Jon Garland (2-1) yielded six earned runs, 10 hits and six walks in six innings.

"Up, just up," said Garland. "Maybe the wrong choice of pitch at that time but when you miss with your pitches, big leaguers are going to get you."

Cuddyer's two-out single to left-center field plated Young to put Colorado ahead, 1-0, in the third inning before things unraveled for the home team.

Atlanta gained the lead in the fourth on Francisco's two-run shot off Garland. The Braves tacked on a third run in the inning when Jordan Schafer roped an RBI-single to center, his first RBI of the season.

The Upton brothers led off the fifth with consecutive homers, becoming the second pair of siblings in MLB history to hit back-to-back home runs and the first since 1938.

B.J. Upton gave Teheran and the Braves an insurance run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly, plating Andrelton Simmons, who reached on a leadoff bunt single.

The Braves erupted for four more runs in the ninth inning off Rockies relief pitcher Josh Outman, and Young's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth capped the scoring.

Game Notes

B.J. Upton now has three home runs on the season and Justin has homered in the same game each time ... Dexter Fowler and Jordan Pacheco had two hits apiece for Colorado ... The Rockies hit 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.