ATLANTA (AP) - DJ LeMahieu and the Colorado Rockies are quite comfortable on the road. Even against baseball’s best teams.
LeMahieu homered, German Marquez pitched seven solid innings and the Rockies closed out their first four-game sweep in Atlanta with a 4-2 victory over the Braves on Sunday.
Colorado improved to 30-16 since June 26, and each of those 46 games came against teams with winning records at the time. The Rockies are 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston and Atlanta, facing the Astros and Braves on the road.
“Yeah, it’s tough teams but we’re definitely not nervous or scared to play anyone with our team,” LeMahieu said. “We all know we have a really good team here. It makes it easy to show up at the park.”
LeMahieu put Colorado in front with his third-inning drive to left field . He has hit nine of his 11 homers on the road, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the 10th inning of Saturday night’s 5-3 win.
“No explanation,” LeMahieu said when asked about his road success. “Just kind of random, I guess.”
Rockies manager Bud Black said his team, battling Arizona for the NL West lead, is playing “good, all-around clean baseball,” but still can hit better.
Atlanta’s four straight losses, tied for its longest streak of the season, followed a five-game winning streak.
“In this business, every time you think you have something figured out, you get kicked right in the teeth,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Marquez (11-9) won his fourth straight road decision. He allowed two runs and five hits, struck out five and walked one.
“Hopefully we can keep this rolling all the way to the World Series,” Marquez said through a translator.
Marquez allowed a run in the first when Freddie Freeman doubled and scored on Johan Camargo’s single. He then threw four straight scoreless innings before Camargo’s single in the sixth drove in Freeman again.
Trevor Story led off the second with a tying homer off Atlanta’s Anibal Sanchez (6-4) into the Colorado bullpen behind the left-field wall.
Following LeMahieu’s homer in the third, David Dahl doubled and scored on Nolan Arenado’s single.
Sanchez struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings. He was charged with three runs and five hits.
Wade Davis gave up a one-out single to Inciarte but had three strikeouts in the ninth for his NL-leading 35th save.
Colorado’s only previous sweep in Atlanta was a three-game series from Sept. 12-14, 1997.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: LHP Mike Dunn (left shoulder inflammation) will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Albuquerque. He has been out since July 7. “It’s going to be a lengthy rehab assignment,” Black said, adding Dunn will need “multiple outings.”
Braves: LHP Sam Freeman (left shoulder inflammation) was activated off the 10-day disabled list. LHP Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
STREAKS END
Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. was 0 for 4, ending his 11-game hitting streak. His team-record streak of reaching safely in nine consecutive plate appearances leading off a game also ended with his fly ball to center in the first.
WEST WOES
The Braves fell to 9-18 against the NL West this season. They are 40-19 against NL East teams.
ROAD KINGS
The Rockies improved to 37-29 away from Coors Field. They have won their last four series in Atlanta; the Braves won two of three in Colorado from April 6-8.
UP NEXT
Rockies: LHP Tyler Anderson (6-5, 4.39 ERA) tries to bounce from a rough outing at Houston when he gets the ball in the opener of a three-game series against visiting San Diego on Tuesday night. The Rockies are 16-5 at home since July 2.
Braves: RHP Kevin Gausman (7-9, 4.22 ERA) starts when Atlanta opens a seven-game road trip at Pittsburgh on Monday night.
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