Spencer Strider fans 13 as Braves beat Rockies

ATLANTA (AP) — Spencer Strider recorded 13 strikeouts in his first win of the season, Ronald Acuña Jr. stayed hot with two hits, including a two-run homer, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Saturday.

The loss left the Rockies with the worst record through 70 games in the modern era. Colorado (13-57) sured the 1932 Boston Red Sox, who were 14-56, for the worst 70-game mark since 1901.

The resurgent Braves have won consecutive series after falling 10 games under .500 while losing six straight series. They have outscored the Rockies 16-5 in the first two games of the series after setting a scoring high in Friday night’s 12-4 win.

Strider (1-5) was dominant in his sixth start since being activated from the injured list on May 19. He allowed three hits with one walk in six innings.

Key moment

Acuña, hitting .387, hit a two-run homer off Chase Dollander (2-7) in the second for his seventh homer in only 20 games since returning on May 23 after missing almost a full season following surgery on his left knee. The blast carried 410 feet, landing in the Rockies’ bullpen behind the left field wall.

Key stat

Strider’s fastballs were clocked at 97 and 98 mph early in the game, showing a return close to the velocity he featured before having the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow repaired with an internal brace in 2024. He continued to stack up strikeouts even with his fastballs returning to 95 and 96 mph by the fifth inning.

Up next

In a matchup of left-handers, Atlanta’s Chris Sale (4-4, 2.79 ERA) will face Colorado’s Austin Gomber (5-12, 4.75) in Sunday’s final game of the series. Sale has allowed no more than one earned run in any of his last five starts and has back-to-back games with double-digit strikeouts.