ATLANTA (AP) Chad Bettis pitched five solid innings in his return from the disabled list and the Colorado Rockies scored four unearned runs, taking advantage of three errors by Atlanta third baseman Adonis Garcia in a 5-1 victory over the Braves on Tuesday night.
Bettis (6-4) allowed five hits, walked two and struck out four in his first big league start since July 18. He was coming back from right elbow inflammation.
The Rockies scored two runs in the first after Garcia misplayed a grounder to his left that could have been an inning-ending double play. Garcia let Nick Hundley's grounder get right through him to start the fourth, allowing the Rockies to tack on two more runs when DJ LeMahieu came through with a two-out, bases-loaded single.
Garcia made another error in the fifth.
Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz (4-6) went five innings and took the loss.
LeMahieu picked up his third RBI with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Bettis also did good work at the plate. He had his first big league hit in the second and contributed to the two-run fourth with a walk. Foltynewicz also hit a batter in the inning, making it tougher to work around Garcia's error.
Colorado snapped a four-game losing streak, while Atlanta lost for the 12th time in 15 games.
Freddie Freeman squandered a couple of chances to get the Braves back in the game.
After Nick Markakis' RBI single got Atlanta on the board in the fifth, Nick Swisher popped out with runners at first and third, and Freeman grounded out to end the inning.
Freeman came up in the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs, only to strike out swinging on a 3-2 slider from Christian Friedrich. The left-hander came in after Tommy Kahnle walked four in the inning but got away without allowing a run. Pinch-hitter Pedro Ciriaco grounded into a double play in the midst of all the wildness.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: OF Carlos Gonzalez did not start after leaving Monday night's game in fifth inning with right knee soreness. Gonzalez was listed as day to by manager Walt Weiss, who said the outfielder was available for pinch-hitting duty. ... RHP Kyle Kendrick, who has been on the DL since Aug. 1 with right shoulder inflammation, threw a 45-pitch simulated game before batting practice. ''He looked good,'' Weiss said. Kendrick's next step is a rehab start in the minors. ... LHP Boone Logan threw before the game. He's been on the DL since Aug. 12 with left elbow inflammation.
Braves: SS Andrelton Simmons was back in the lineup after missing two games with a sore left knee. Simmons banged his knee on a slide during a game at Chicago, but there was no serious damage.
UP NEXT
Rockies: Former Atlanta farmhand Yohan Flande (3-1) will make his 14th appearance of the season, his sixth as a starter. In his five previous starts, the left-hander is 2-0 with 3.90 ERA. He pitched in the Braves' farm system from 2010-13 and will be making his first start against his former team.
Braves: RHP Shelby Miller (5-10) is looking to break a winless streak that has stretched to more than three months. His last win came on May 17, when he threw a two-hit shutout at Miami. Miller has gone 0-9 over his last 17 starts, largely because of a lack of offensive support. The Braves have scored a total of 35 runs during that span - an average of just over two per game. In only two of those starts has Atlanta scored more than three runs. Miller has a 3.11 ERA during his drought, allowing three earned runs or less in 13 appearances. Not that it's done him any good.
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