Their 4-1 win over the playoff-bound Brewers at American Family Field earned them a three-game series victory in Milwaukee.

Freeland’s rocky first inning gave no hint of the brilliance to come.

The lefty needed 32 pitches to get through the first, his troubles exacerbated by third baseman Ryan McMahon’s throwing error, which allowed Gary Sanchez to reach first and Rhys Hoskins to follow up with a bloop single to score William Contreras.

But after yielding a one-out single to Issac Collins in the second, Freeland retired the next 14 hitters he faced. The lefty pitched six innings, giving up one unearned run on three hits and no walks. He struck out four. Freeland needed just 57 pitches over his final five frames.

“Kyle was a little slow out of the chute, but I think his (pitch) movement picked up from the second inning on,” manager Bud Black told reporters in Milwaukee. “I saw a moving fastball, and even at 90-91 (mph), it was tailing. The breaking ball got a little better and the location got a little bit better.

“And it looked as though the Brewers were a little bit more aggressive than in the first two games and that worked to Kyle’s advantage.”

Since coming off the injured list where he dealt with an elbow strain, Freeland is 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 13 starts, nine of them quality starts.

Rookie relievers Seth Halvorsen, Angel Chivilli, and veteran closer Tyler Kinley combined to pitch three perfect innings as the Rockies tied a franchise record by retiring the final 23 hitters to end a game. Kinley notched his 11th save.

“We have some big, young arms (in the bullpen), and we are looking forward to their future,” Black said. “What they did against a playoff-bound team, in their ballpark, in a three-run game, was pretty impressive.”

Over the last nine games, Colorado’s bullpen has posted a 1.21 ERA, including four consecutive scoreless outings.

Hilliard, getting the start in center field in place of Brenton Doyle who’s nursing a sore left hand, beat the odds with his game-clinching three-run homer in the fifth. Brewers manager Pat Murphy pulled struggling starter Freddy Peralta and brought in lefty reliever Hoby Milner to face the left-handed hitting Hilliard. But Hilliard parked Milner’s 1-1, 80 mph sweeper to give Colorado a 4-1 lead.

“I thought he was going with a fastball, but he threw a slider right into my loop and I was able to say on it and put the barrel on it,” Hilliard told Rockies.TV.

Hillard, who seems to be adjusting better to his role as a bench player, also hit a home run on Saturday. Of his 25 hits this season, 12 have gone for extra bases (four doubles, a triple, seven home runs).

Colorado’s other run came on a leadoff solo homer by Hunter Goodman in the third, Goodman’s ninth homer.

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However, there are several talented prospects in the system. Here are five who could become impactful starters over the next three seasons.

1. RPH Chase Dollander, 22: The ninth overall pick in the 2023 draft has a chance to be the best pitcher in Rockies history. The University of Tennessee product has an elite fastball and a biting slider and is developing a solid curveball and changeup. He’s dominated at High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford this season, going 6-1 with a 2.38 ERA, 166 strikeouts and 43 walks over 22 starts. ETA: 2025, possibly before the All-Star break.

2. LHP Carson Palmquist, 23: There was speculation Palmquist would make his Rockies debut this season, but that’s not going to happen. He’s currently pitching at Triple-A Albuquerque (1-1, 4.85 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 14 walks in six starts), after shining at Double-A (6-4, 3.17 ERA, 113 strikeouts, 23 walks in 18 starts).  ETA: He’ll pitch for the Rockies in 2025 and could even break camp as part of the rotation.

3. RHP Gabriel Hughes, 23: Had it not been for an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery in July 2023, Hughes might already be pitching for the Rockies. The first-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2022 (10th overall) has made only 15 minor league starts (6-5, 5.94 ERA) including two at Double-A last summer before his injury. He can throw a high-90s fastball and is developing a full arsenal. He’s scheduled to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. ETA: He could make his big-league debut in 2026.

4. LHP Sean Sullivan, 22: A second-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2023, the strike-throwing Sullivan has been impressive this season at High-A Spokane (7-2, 2.16 ERA, 101 strikeouts, eight walks in 14 starts) and Double-A Hartford (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 18 strikeouts, four walks in five starts). Sullivan spent part of the summer at the Rockies’ pitching lab in Scottsdale, Ariz., working on his slider and changeup. ETA: He’ll most likely make his big-league debut in 2026, but late next season is not out of the question.

5. RHP Brody Brecht, 21: The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder played both baseball and football at Iowa before settling on baseball. He was selected in the Competitive Balance Round A of the 2024 Draft (No. 38 overall). He was the ace of the Hawkeyes’ staff and proved very tough to hit, finishing the season with a .165 batting average against and striking out 14.7 batters per nine innings. He’s got an excellent fastball/slider combination. He’ll have plenty to prove once he starts pitching in the minors but the Rockies love his upside. ETA: He’s young and not as developed as the others on this list, but a 2027 debut is possible.

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At 22, he holds the promise of a pitcher with enough talent and confidence to defy the odds in Colorado’s mile-high altitude.

Ubaldo Jimenez in 2010 (19-8, 2.88 ERA, third in NL Cy Young Award voting) and Kyle Freeland in 2018 (17-7, 2.85 ERA, fourth) had phenomenal seasons with the Rockies, but their star power proved unsustainable.

With Dollander, selected ninth overall out of Tennessee in the 2023 draft, there is legitimate hope he can become an ace for the long haul — something the Rockies have never had.

Of course, that won’t be determined until Dollander tests his potential in the majors. Right now, he’s acing his minor-league exams.

In August, Dollander went 2-0 with a 0.92 ERA in five starts, earning the Double-A Eastern League’s pitcher-of-the-month honors. Dollander whiffed a league-best 41 batters and held opponents to a .163 average.

“I probably didn’t expect him to make these kind of strides this quickly,” Rockies farm director Chris Forbes said. “But I’ve always known that we are building an ace here. We aren’t building a No. 5 pitcher. We are truly building a top-of-the-rotation guy.”

Dollander’s performance in the Yard Goats’ 3-2 loss to the Altoona Curve on Thursday night provided a glimpse of what he’s made of.

His high-90s fastball was humming, but his wicked slider was a bit wonky. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in the second inning because of some soft hits and sketchy defense behind him. Nonetheless, he finished with a fine line: two runs allowed over six innings on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

With men on base, he kept his cool and controlled the running game.

“I’ve been so impressed by his ability to make in-game adjustments,” Yard Goats manager Bobby Meacham said. “When his slider is not clicking, he changes things up and goes with a different strategy. He has the ability to move his fastball around.

“He uses his changeup, which I think is going to be a very good pitch. So, seeing him make adjustments and not just try to overpower hitters is really encouraging for a young pitcher.”

Dollander, who received a $5.7 million signing bonus last summer, is fast becoming a student of the game, something that has allowed him to evolve from fireballer to pitcher in his first season of professional baseball. He’s worked overtime studying opposing hitters on video and analyzing his own tendencies.

In his Aug. 30 start, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander showed just how dominant he can be. He racked up 10 strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the Yard Goats’ 3-0 win over Binghamton. Dollander allowed only three hits, struck out seven straight at one point, and dominated a lineup that included Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford, two of the New York Mets’ top prospects.

“It’s been really fun learning to approach hitters and learning how to use my pitches to be effective,” said Dollander, who was 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA, 111 strikeouts and just 28 walks in 14 starts at High-A Spokane before his promotion to Double-A Harford. “Reading hitters is the one thing that’s been huge for me this year.”

From a scouting perspective, Dollander checks off all the boxes: a high-90s fastball, biting slider, baffling changeup, and an improving curveball — all garnished with self-confidence.

“I feel like all of my pitches have gotten a lot better,” he said. “I’ve really been able to hone in on the shapes. Now it’s a matter of consistency. They are all really good pitches, and they’re going to be able to play in the majors.”

Forbes concurs.

“He has an absolutely dominant fastball that gets outs within the (strike) zone, on top of a slider that we feel will be a plus pitch,” Forbes said.

Meacham is especially intrigued by Dollander’s mid-80s changeup, which plays well off a fastball that touches 98 mph when he cuts loose.

“It’s a really, really good pitch,” Meacham said. “It can be as effective as his slider to keep hitters off-balance. It comes out looking like his fastball, and then it has all this movement on it. Lefties are going to have a really hard time with it.”

While there are plenty of flame-throwing pitchers with good stuff, what sets Dollander apart are the intangibles and his commitment to becoming great.

“He’s a phenomenal kid,” said Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, who led the Volunteers to the national title this summer. “There are a lot of kids with potential, but Chase has been able to tap into that potential.

“He had a strong foundation when he came to Tennessee after starting out at Georgia Southern. He’s got a strong work ethic, but baseball is very important to him.”

Vitello said Dollander has always been able to take his game to the next level.

“It should be important to everybody — their craft — but there is a difference between the elite and the non-elite,” he said. “Chase has this inner desire that’s very obvious if you are around him every day. So, whatever you provide for him, he’s going to make the most of it and then take it to the extreme.”

Dollander’s days at Rocky Top weren’t perfect. After transferring from Georgia Southern, he had a sensational sophomore season at Tennessee, going 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA and 108 strikeouts. But as the white-hot spotlight found him as a junior, he felt the heat.

Dollander, while attempting to improve the action of his slider, changed his pitching motion a bit. He regressed from his sophomore season, posting a 4.75 ERA but still ringing up 120 strikeouts.

“I found that toward the beginning of my junior year, I was really thinking about how much people were worried about how I was performing rather than just focusing on myself and the team I had around me,” Dollander said shortly after the Rockies drafted him. “I kind of got lost in what people were saying about me, so it became really hard, but I started working with a mental performance coach, and as soon as that happened everything turned around and I started pitching a lot better.”

In retrospect, his subpar junior season was a blessing, even if it cost him a few spots in the draft. He started following a regular, customized weight room routine, used band therapy to keep his right arm flexible and strong, and started eating healthier.

“What I learned at Tennessee is that having a consistent routine is only going to help you,” he said. “It’s like taking a penny and doubling it every day for 30 days to see how much money you are going to have. It’s a compound interest kind of thing.

“You keep stacking it, day in and day out, and the consistency starts paying off to what you’re seeing now.”

The Rockies have drafted other highly-touted, hard-throwing pitchers over the last decade, including Jon Gray (No. 3 overall in 2013) and right-hander Riley Pint (No. 4 in 2016), but neither of those players could match Dollander’s preparedness.

Dollander’s maturity and professionalism have blown away Forbes.

“His routines are very disciplined,” Forbes said. “You can go into the training room on a Wednesday after he starts on Sunday and they’re you’ll find him, taking notes, studying video.

“For a lot of players who make it in the big leagues, the difference is routine. He has that in place right now, with such an unbelievably solid foundation.”

Forbes calls Dollander’s weight room routine “phenomenal,” and marvels at the young pitcher’s dietary discipline.

“He gets his meals premade,” Forbes said. “He’s not some college kid crushing chicken wings and five beers after a game. He’s a lot more advanced and professional than most 22-year-old athletes.”

When Dollander was promoted from Spokane to Hartford in late July, Meacham wondered about the person the Yard Goats were inheriting. He knew about Dollander’s talent but wasn’t quite sure about the attitude.

“I’m always curious about the first-round picks because I was one,” said Meacham, who was selected by the Cardinals with the eighth overall pick in the 1981 draft. “I try to figure out why. Why is this guy a first-round pick? Because there a lot of guys who throw hard, but now I’m starting to see why with Chase.”

Meacham has seen Dollander interact with his teammates, listen to his coaches and soak up the experiences of minor league baseball.

“He listens really intently, not only to his manager and coaches but also his teammates,” Meacham said. “He doesn’t respond with an attitude of like, ‘Yeah, I already know that.’ ”

Forbes has witnessed the same thing, never encountering the stubbornness that some bonus babies carry with them from college to the pros.

“For a guy coming out of a power-five program like Tennessee’s, sometimes you can battle some rigidness and how they go about things,” Forbes said. “You run into an attitude of, ‘This is what I have done, this is how I’m always going to do it.’

“But Chase has been unbelievably coachable and unbelievably active in his own development.”

Meacham, who played six seasons with the Yankees (1983-88), has been a coach or manager for over 30 years and knows something about what makes young players tick. He likes how Dollander operates.

“The character I see in successful players is that they are very confident,” Meacham said. “And there is no question that Chase is confident in his ability, but he’s humble, too.

“It fits. When those two pieces come together, you have a fierce competitor who refuses to believe he can’t complete his dreams. But he also knows that he still has to learn. That’s huge. That’s what I’ve seen from Chase in the weeks he’s been with us.”

Next spring, Dollander will get an invitation to the Rockies’ big-league camp. That will be his next major test. Then he’ll likely make a pitstop at Triple-A Albuquerque before he makes his major league debut.

Dollander insists he’s not watching the clock.

“I wouldn’t say I’m targeting anything or any time,” he said. “It’s more of a when they think I’m ready, I’ll be ready. I know that I could pitch (in the majors) now and have some success because of the preparation I have put in. It’s just a matter of when they think I’m ready. And I will be ready, I promise you that.”

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In their 5-2 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday night, the Rockies struck out 15 times as they continued their march toward ignominy.

They have now whiffed 1,485 times, the most in the National League, and are well on pace to eclipse the franchise record of 1,543 Ks set last season. On the current road trip, the Rockies have whiffed 75 times, an average of 15 Ks per game over their first five games of the nine-game trip.

The Rockies’ 75 strikeouts over five games are the second-most by a team over any five-game span in the modern era, trailing only the Brewers’ 77 in the 2017 season.

Given their futility at the plate, especially against starter Tobias Myers, and given how the Brewers hammered lefty starter Ty Blach, Colorado had little chance to beat the National League Central leaders.

Back-to-back, two-out homers by Willy Adames and Gary Sanchez off Blach in the first inning quickly put the Rockies in a hole. A two-run homer by William Contreras buried the Rockies in the fourth.

Milwaukee’s fifth run arrived in the fourth when Sal Frelick punched a two-out single to right. That was it for Blach. Enter right-hander Jake Bird, who promptly gave up an RBI double to Joey Ortiz.

Blach, called up from Triple-A Albuquerque as an emergency starter when Cal Quantrill went on the injured list, was charged with five runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings. In his Sept. 1 start, the Orioles punched him for five runs on five hits over four innings. His ERA has soared to 6.94.

Myers, a rookie of the year candidate, gave up one run on four hits with 11 strikeouts over six innings.

The Rockies’ two runs came via solo home runs. Ryan McMahon led off the fourth with a solo blast off Tobias Myers, McMahon’s 18th. Sam Hilliard, who replaced Brenton Doyle in center field, hit a solo homer in the eighth, his sixth.

Doyle left the game in the fifth with a left hand injury suffered when he made a diving catch in the fourth inning. Manager Bud Black told reporters after the game that although Doyle’s hand “swelled up a little bit,” he didn’t think the injury was a big concern.

Bryant could be done. Kris Bryant, who has struggled with injuries throughout his unproductive, three-year tenure with the Rockies, could be done for the season as he continues dealing with a chronic lower-back injury.

“He’s doing better. He’s feeling good,” Black told reporters before Saturday’s game.

But Black also said: “You know, in the NFL, you’ve got ‘probable,’ ‘questionable,’ and ‘doubtful.’ I’m going to say it’s questionable, but we’re running out of time.”

Bryant, 32, has played just 159 games since signing a franchise-record, seven-year, $182 million free-agent contract in the spring of 2022.  He continues exercising and getting treatment to strengthen his back but is not doing baseball activities.

Bryant has not played since Aug. 6 and has been limited to 37 games this season, slashing .218/.323/.301 with two home runs. During his Rockies career, he’s slashed .250/.332./.381 with 17 homers.

The Rockies could have placed Bryant on the 60-day injured list when the major-league roster expanded for September, but that didn’t happen.

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“He’s doing better. He’s feeling good,” manager Bud Black told reporters in Milwaukee on Saturday before the Rockies played the Brewers.

But Black also said: “You know, in the NFL, you’ve got ‘probable,’ ‘questionable,’ and ‘doubtful.’ I’m going to say it’s questionable, but we’re running out of time.”

Bryant, 32, has played just 159 games since signing a franchise-record, seven-year, $182 million free-agent contract in the spring of 2022.  He continues exercising and getting treatment to strengthen his back but is not doing baseball activities.

Bryant has not played since Aug. 6 and has been limited to 37 games this season, slashing .218/.323/.301 with two home runs. During his Rockies career, he’s slashed .250/.332./.381 with 17 homers.

The Rockies could have placed Bryant on the 60-day injured list when the major-league roster expanded for September, but that didn’t happen.

Even if Bryant were to return this season, it would be a challenge for him to get playing time. Michael Toglia has replaced Bryant as the starting first baseman and the Rockies are committed to playing their young outfielders for the remainder of the season. Bryant could see time as a designated hitter, but popular veteran Charlie Blackmon, in the final weeks of his one-year, $13 million contract, is Colorado’s primary DH.

After this season, Bryant will still be owed $107 million over the next four years. Whether the Rockies will continue to hold onto Bryant or move on and cut their losses remains to be seen.

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The statniks up in the Grading The Week cubicles didn’t believe it, either, frankly.  But then somebody sent them details of Devin Larsen’s prime-time inaugural appearance for CSU-Pueblo up in Rapid City, S.D.

Larsen’s record-breaking debut — A

Making his ThunderWolves debut, the senior transfer from Western New Mexico (’21-’23) by way of Garden City Community College (’21) and Iowa State (’19-’20) piled up 508 passing yards while throwing for five touchdowns and zero interceptions to power CSU-Pueblo to a 35-6 victory.

The 6-foot-4 Arizona native completed 30 of 45 throws on the night. His 508 yards were a school record and the most by any collegiate QB at any NCAA level for the week.

While Sanders has showcased his talents as a singer, writer, rapper and performer, it turns out Larsen is something of a renaissance man himself. In April 2023, the future CSU Pueblo signal-caller won a creative writing contest held by the Western New Mexico humanities department for his poetry. Larsen’s winning entry was titled “To Find My Great Perhaps,” and was described by the university as a work that “celebrates the adventure of living in nature.”

If Larsen’s initial appearance for the ThunderWolves is any indication, CSU-Pueblo fans could be in for more than a few celebratory adventures this fall.

PS2’s reign as NFL’s highest-paid CB — B

Pat Surtain II will always have Wednesday. And Thursday. And … well, that’s pretty much it. Turns out PS2’s reign as the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, while deserved, also became fairly brief. So brief, it lasted about two days.

This past Wednesday, the Broncos’ Pro Bowl defender inked a deal worth $24 million per year. On Friday, the Dolphins gave Jalen Ramsey a three-year deal worth a reported $24.1 million a season, just pipping Surtain over the finish line.

Dollander’s dominance — A

More than 13 strikeouts per game. A K-to-walk ratio of almost 4-to-1. A 2.38 ERA overall, and a 1.65 ERA over his last eight starts.

Sounds a lot like Paul Skenes, you say? Darn straight. Only those numbers belong not to the National League’s most exciting starter. They’re the latest stats for arguably the most exciting National League starter in the minors right now — and he’s a Rockie.

If you’re like the kids on the GTW staff, you’d sooner stare into the high desert sun than watch the pitching on 20th and Bleak. But would you believe help is on the way?

While Bo Nix, Sean Payton, Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter are stealing all the digital ink to start the fall, Rockies right-handed starter Chase Dollander, Colorado’s top pick in the ’23 MLB Draft, is quietly making a case to be considered one of the top pitching prospects chucking it right now.

This past Thursday, the 6-foot-2 Georgia native posted his sixth straight appearance for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats of at least five innings pitched, at least six strikeouts and with two or fewer runs allowed.

Late last month, he became the first Hartford pitcher to record back-to-back games of double-digits Ks, fanning 10 Binghamton hitters after recording 10 strikeouts against New Hampshire. The righty’s racked up at least 10 Ks in six of his 22 appearances this season for Spokane and Hartford. Other than the baseball gods, who says Rockies fans can’t have nice things?

The Rockies right-hander finally snagged one, thanks to his own superb performance, a big assist from first baseman Michael Toglia, and another sensational throw from Gold Glove center fielder Brenton Doyle to close out the game.

Feltner shut down the Brewers for six innings in Colorado’s 3-2, white-knuckle win Friday night at American Family Field. It was Feltner’s first win since April 12 at Toronto, a span of 22 starts.

The Brewers tried to rally in the ninth against closer Tyler Kinley, but Doyle snuffed them out with a perfect throw.

With one out and pinch runner Brewer Hicklen perched on second, Rhys Hoskins hit a flyball to deep right-center field. As Hicklen prepared to tag up, Doyle moved in front of right fielder Jordan Beck, made the catch and threw a perfect 95 mph strike to third baseman Ryan McMahon, who made an excellent tag on Hicklen for the game-ending double play.

“In those spots, you always anticipate the ball being hit to you, so I was ready for it,” Doyle told Rockies.TV. “It was a close one between either Beck and I to catch it and try to throw him out. I kind of just took authority and wanted to do it myself. I called (Beck) off and made a good throw to ‘Mac.'”

The play was reviewed but it stood up.

“That was an amazing, incredible play,” manager Bud Black told reporters. “To throw that guy out? To throw that ball on the line, with velocity, and make perfect throw to ‘Mac?’ What a play.”

Kinley, who notched his 10th save, raved about Doyle’s throw and McMahon’s catch and tag.

“That throw was so accurate,” Kinley told Rockies.TV. “And ‘Mac’ was so good with his hands on that tag. We see it all the time with him. … What a huge play. It gives us two wins in a row.”

The Rockies beat the Braves, 3-1, in Atlanta on Thursday night.

Toglia’s big fly was gigantic. His two-out, three-run blast in the sixth hit the scoreboard beyond center field, knocking out a few lights. Toglia, who hit cleanup, has hit a team-high 23 homers.

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar ignited the rally with a one-out double off Frankie Montas. It was Colorado’s first hit of the night. McMahon coaxed a walk from Montas before Toglia stepped up and crushed a first-pitch, 93.9 mph sinker that floated up in the zone.

The Rockies had only three hits and struck out 14 times. How rare is a Rockies victory when they have just three hits? They are now 13-177 all-time.

The super-sharp Feltner confounded the Brewers for six innings, giving up just one run on two hits while striking out six. He finished with a flourish, striking out William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell and Willy Adames in the sixth.

“We have talked about how Ryan needs to learn how to finish at-bats and finish innings and finish his game,” Black said. “There were a couple of at-bats in there where he needed to finish, and he did.

“That’s what it takes to win games, especially a pitching duel like he was in against Montas. He did that, and I’m proud of him.”

Feltner did walk three, and two free passes cost him the second inning. He served up a one-out walk to Jake Bauers, a two-out walk to Blake Perkins and an RBI single to Joey Ortiz.

Despite his 2-10 record, Feltner has whittled his ERA to 4.96 with a 3.54 ERA over his last 11 starts.

Saturday’s pitching matchup

Rockies LHP Ty Blach (3-7, 6.65 ERA) at Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (6-5, 3.00)

5:10 p.m., American Family Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 630 AM

Blach, called into action when right-hander Cal Quantrill went on the injured list, will make another fill-in start. The last one didn’t go well. He yielded five runs on five hits and two walks over four innings Sunday in Colorado’s loss to the Orioles at Coors Field. Blach, promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque for his first major league appearance since July 26, gave up one run through three innings before Baltimore’s four-run fourth inning, topped off by James McCann’s two-run homer. In four career games (one start) against the Brewers, Blach is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA.

Myers pitched last Sunday at Cincinnati and came away with a no-decision in Milwaukee’s 4-3 loss. He gave up three runs (two earned) on eight hits, with four walks and seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. He has made six quality starts this season and has pitched well of late, posting a 2.27 ERA over his last 15 starts. The Rockies beat Myers on July 4 at Coors Field. He gave up all four runs in a 4-3 loss, getting tagged for eight hits over six innings.

Pitching probables

Sunday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-7, 5.30) at Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (10-7, 3.75), 12:10 p.m.

Monday: Off

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The left-hander pitched one of the best games of his career, dominating the Braves for eight innings in the Rockies’ 3-1 victory.

Gomber allowed a single run on five hits — just one hit after the second inning — struck out five and didn’t walk any. He threw 92 pitches, 67 for strikes.

Manager Bud Black tipped his cap to Gomber by comparing him to some great Braves southpaws.

“It reminded me, here in Atlanta, of a combination of (Tom) Glavin, Charlie Leibrandt and Steve Avery,” Black told reporters. “‘Gomby threw well. He had a great fastball — up and down, in and out. He had a good hook, good change, good slider.

“He pitched really well. Whether it’s the best he’s pitched all year, I don’t know, but it’s right up there.”

The lefty threw 40% fastballs, 20% curveballs, 20% sliders and 20% changeups.

Thursday marked the fourth time in his career that Gomber pitched eight innings, including on May 22 at Oakland. But he’s never pitched a complete game and never thrown in the ninth inning. Black said eight was enough for Gomber.

“He emptied the tank, he said, in the eighth,” Black told reporters in Atlanta. “Where they were in the order, with (Jorge) Soler and (Marcell) Ozuna and (Matt Olsen) coming up — three really good (hitters) — I thought it was best that we put (closer Tyler) Kinley on those guys.”

Kinley pitched a perfect ninth, striking out Jorge Soler and Marcell Ozuna with nasty sliders, to record his ninth save.

Gomber’s night began with a shaky first inning. The Braves ripped three singles, including Ramon Laureano’s two-out RBI single. Orlando Arcia led off the second with a double but after that, Gomber dominated Atlanta.

Colorado didn’t land many jabs against Braves starter Reynaldo Lopez, who struck out a season-high 11 batters. But the Rockies did land two haymakers. First baseman Michael Toglia blasted a one-out, 451-foot solo homer in the second and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar hit a 387-foot, one-out homer to left in the sixth. Toglia and Tovar have 22 homers apiece, tied with center fielder Brenton Doyle for the most on the team.

“It’s competitive,” Toglia told Rockies.TV. “Me, Tovar and Doyle have this footrace going in the home run department. It’s great when someone pushes the bar higher.”

Lopez gave up just five hits and didn’t walk any, his minuscule ERA rising from 2.00 to 2.04.

But Gomber outpitched Lopez as the Rockies snapped an eight-game losing streak at Truist Park.

“Gomber was fantastic tonight,” Toglia said. “It was one of the best outings I’ve seen from him since I’ve been around. His curveball was really on tonight, with a lot of swing and miss on that.

“I felt like I was falling asleep at first (base) because there were so many easy outs. Lazy flyballs and strikeouts. I had to make sure I stayed locked in.”

Colorado manufactured a run in the seventh off Luke Jackson. Toglia walked, stole second, and raced to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s throwing error. Toglia scored on Nolan Jones’ sacrifice fly to center.

Colorado stole four bases, tying a season-high.

The big blemish on one of the Rockies’ prettiest wins of the season was their 16 strikeouts, including four by Brendan Rodgers. They entered the game with 1,377, the most in the National League.

Jaden Hill promoted: The Rockies have been waiting for weeks to call up hard-throwing right-hander reliever Jaden Hill, but a right hamstring strain delayed his promotion. But Hill, Colorado’s No. 20 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, got the call on Thursday when his contract was selected from Triple-A Albuquerque.

To make room on the major-league roster, lefty reliever Evan Justice was optioned to Triple-A and right-handed starter Dakota Hudson was transferred to 60-day injured list.

Hill was a second-round draft pick out of LSU in 2021 despite missing the bulk of his final college season because of an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Hill has made 41 relief appearances between Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque this season, his first as a reliever. He was 6-2 with seven saves, a 4.57 ERA, 69 strikeouts and 17 walks.

Friday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-10, 5.11 ERA) at Brewers RHP Frankie Montas (6-9, 4.70)

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

The Rockies are still waiting for Feltner to take the next step. That is, eliminate the bad inning or bad string of pitches that have kept him from being a winning pitcher. For example, despite flashing good stuff, he gave up five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Orioles last Saturday at Coors Field. Colorado won the game, 7-5, but Feltner did not get a decision. Feltner has a 3.68 ERA over his last 10 starts but has failed to notch a victory since April 20 at Toronto. He’s made three career starts vs. the Brewers, going 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA.

Montas was acquired from Cincinnati in a July 30 trade in exchange for right-hander Jakob Junis, outfielder Joey Wiemer and cash. The Brewers are 5-1 when he takes the mound, and he’s  2-1 with a 3.82 ERA in those six starts. He’s coming off a no-decision in Milwaukee’s 5-4 win over the Reds last Saturday. He pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Montas is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA in five career starts vs. Colorado, including a 1-1 record with a 3.21 ERA in two starts this season.

Pitching probables

Saturday: Rockies TBA at Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (6-5, 3.00), 5:10 p.m.

Sunday: Rockies TBA at Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (10-7, 3.75), 12:10 p.m.

Monday: Off

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Colorado went down 4-0 in that opening frame en route to a 5-2 loss. The Rockies struck out 16 times, and everyone in the lineup had at least one K as the Braves clinched the series to drop Colorado to 51-89.

“We have a number of guys who have a propensity to strike out,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters. “This is not something that we’re not aware of. It’s been something that’s been happening all year. We have a lot of young players who expand the zone. … It’s a challenge for our young guys, moving forward, to make that commitment to cut our strikeouts down as an offense.”

The Braves got on the board quickly, creating chaos with two outs in the first inning after rookie right-hander Bradley Blalock retired the first two batters. Marcell Ozuna doubled, then Matt Olson doubled him home.

And after a walk to Travis d’Arnaud, Jarred Kelenic delivered the gut punch with a three-run homer to right to make it 4-0.

“Ozuna got a hanging breaking ball with two strikes, Olson got a ball up,” Black said. “Then (Kelenic) battled, and that was a good at-bat. He hung in there and got a (splitter) down and in that he homered on.”

But the Rockies responded in the top of the next inning, spurred by Nolan Jones’ one-out walk. Sam Hilliard tripled off Charlie Morton to score Jones, then Charlie Blackmon’s two-out double to right brought Hilliard home to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Neither starter yielded any further damage after that, with both Blalock and Morton throwing five innings. Blalock worked around walks in the second, third, fourth and fifth, with two of those frames featuring free passes to the leadoff man. The Rockies, meanwhile, had traffic in Morton’s final three innings but couldn’t capitalize.

“Blalock hung in there,” Black said. “He bobbed and weaved through innings two through five, and he showed some grit.”

With the game turned over to the bullpens, Colorado’s was the first to crack. Jorge Soler’s RBI single off Jake Bird in the sixth pushed Atlanta’s lead to 5-2.

Old friend Pierce Johnson, a Faith Christian product who pitched for the Rockies before the club dealt him to the Braves at last year’s trade deadline, pitched a one-two-three seventh. Joe Jimenez replicated that feat in the eighth before Raisel Iglesias slammed the door in the ninth for his 30th save. Iglesias ran his MLB-best active scoreless streak to 23 1/3 innings.

The Braves improved to 61-3 when leading after the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the Rockies have accumulated 29 strikeouts in the first two games of the series. Colorado only had one hit in the final seven innings on Wednesday.

Criswell responds to angry Merrifield. A day after rookie right-hander Jeff Criswell beaned the Braves’ Whit Merrifield in the head with a 94 mph fastball in the seventh inning of Colorado’s loss in the series opener, Criswell expressed contrition for the errant pitch.

“I sent a message over and just again tried to apologize — reiterate that it was not intentional,” Criswell told MLB.com. “At least try to get that message over to him.”

Merrifield was not seriously injured by the pitch, but he was immediately removed from the game, and then afterwards ripped Criswell and other inexperienced pitchers who are gassing hitters inside, sometimes with perilous results.

“Where the game is at right now, it’s just ridiculous,” Merrifield told reporters on Tuesday. “… The way pitchers are throwing now, there’s no remorse or regard for throwing up and in. Guys are throwing hard as they can and they don’t care where the ball goes.”

As there’s been a widespread increase in velocity across the majors in recent years, with upper-90s and triple-digit fastballs no longer uncommon, the number of hit batters has correspondingly skyrocketed.

As a reference point, in 1980, there were 657 hit by pitches in MLB. In 2000, there were 1,573. And over the last three seasons, over 2,000 batters have been hit each year, including 2,112 in 2023. Entering Wednesday, 1,767 had been plunked in 2024.

Colorado added to that tally again on Wednesday when Seth Halvorsen hit Eli White with a 100 mph heater on the wrist in the eighth.

Thursday’s pitching matchup

Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (4-10, 4.69 ERA) at Braves RHP Reynaldo Lopez (8-4, 2.00)

5:20 p.m. Thursday, Truist Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM

Gomber pitched solidly over six starts in August, with a 4.37 ERA and four quality starts. In his last outing, he held the Orioles to three runs over six innings. The longball has been a bugaboo lately, though, as last month the opposition homered against him in five of those starts. That included a pair of two-homer games, and a homer given up in each of his last three outings. If he can start keeping the ball in the yard on a more consistent basis, he’s capable of elevating his pitching to what he turned out in May (0.68 ERA in four starts). The Braves have taken him deep six times, including two homers by Travis d’Arnaud in three at-bats.

Lopez has been on a heater. The Dominican right-hander has allowed just three earned runs over his last 20 innings, with 25 strikeouts to six walks. Only Jake Cave has seen him for more than two at-bats, and the outfielder has a .385 average and two homers in 13 career at-bats.

Pitching probables

Friday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-10, 5.11) at Brewers RHP Frankie Montas (6-9, 4.70), 4:10 p.m.

Saturday: Rockies LHP Ty Blach (3-7, 6.65) at Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (6-5, 3.00), 5:10 p.m.

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The pitch got away from the right-hander and hit Braves second baseman Whit Merrifield in the back of the head. After the Braves’ 3-0 victory, Merrifield let loose a torrent of criticism about the “pathetic” state of major league pitching.

“It’s bulls—; it’s driving me nuts,” Merrifield told reporters in Atlanta. “I hate where the game is at right now with that.”

Merrifield added that “something terrible is going to happen” if baseball doesn’t address the issue of pitchers throwing high, wild and inside.

Criswell’s rising fastball sailed behind Merrifield’s head and clipped the second baseman in the batting helmet just behind his left ear. As Merrifield got up from the ground and wobbled on one knee, he shouted angrily at Criswell.

Merrifield became the fourth Braves player to be hit — and injured — by wildly thrown fastballs within the past month.

Star third baseman Austin Riley will likely miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a broken hand when he was hit by a 97 mph pitch last month. Center fielder Michael Harris II and veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud also missed time last month after being hit.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Merrifield told reporters. “Where the game is at right now, it’s just ridiculous. … The way pitchers are throwing now, there’s no remorse or regard for throwing up and in. Guys are throwing hard as they can and they don’t care where the ball goes.”

Merrifield criticized teams for calling up pitchers who, he said, have no business being on a big-league mound.

“Teams are bringing pitchers up that don’t know where the hell the ball is going,” he said. “They throw 100 miles an hour, so they’re like, ‘All right, we’ll see if he can get the guys out. Just set up down the middle and throw it as hard as you can.’ And it’s bulls—.”

Merrifield was also upset that there are no consequences for pitchers who plunk batters.

“It’s bulls—. You can’t hit a guy anymore back,” he said. “There’s no fear of, ‘Oh, if I hit this guy, then our guy is going to get hit.’ That’s not the game anymore. Pitchers don’t have to hit anymore, so they don’t have to stand in the box.”

Merrifield, a player representative on Major League Baseball’s competition committee, said he planned to discuss the issue with other committee members during a meeting on Wednesday.

Merrifield said baseball is playing a dangerous game.

“I watched Taylor Ward get hit in the face last year and have to get reconstructive surgery,” Merrifield said. “Justin Turner got hit in the face last year. It’s happening at an exponential rate. Guys are getting hit in the hand. Mookie Betts broke a bone in his hand this year.

“It’s just ridiculous and it has to be fixed or God forbid, something terrible is going to happen. If this hits me in a different spot — it’s just pathetic. It’s frankly pathetic some of the pitchers we’re running out there that don’t know where the ball is going at the major league level. And it’s got to be fixed.”

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Merrifield passed the concussion protocol and might be able to play in Wednesday night’s game against the Rockies. But Merrifield was angry that he had to leave Tuesday’s game while Criswell continued pitching.

“I’m out of the game, but he gets to stay in and pitch,” Merrifield said. “I’m probably not going to be able to play (Wednesday), but (there are no) repercussions on his part. I mean, without being over dramatic, that was my life on the line right there. So I’m sick of it. It’s happening way too much out there.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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