Cue the feel-good highlight reel:
— Rockies rookie Michael Toglia, in his second major league start, got his first major league hit, a solid single to center in the fourth inning.
— Then Toglia ripped a two-run homer off veteran closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth.
— Right-hander Ryan Feltner matched his career-high with seven strikeouts.
— In the first inning, Toglia ran down Michael Harris’ double in the right-field corner, then made a terrific throw to second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who gunned a strike to catcher Brian Serven, who tagged out William Contreras who was trying to score from first base.
Now, taking off the purple-colored glasses, the Rockies lost 3-2 to the Braves on Wednesday night at Truist Park as right-hander Kyle Wright put together a dominant performance.
Wright, facing the Rockies for the first time in his career, blanked them for seven innings.
Wednesday’s loss snapped the Rockies’ two-game road winning streak. Colorado, which has scored a not-so-grand total of 14 runs in its last eight road games, has not managed a three-game winning streak on the road this season.
Colorado has played very well at Truist Field since it opened in 2017, entering Wednesday’s game with an 11-2 record at the suburban Atlanta ballpark. But they were never in Wednesday night’s game — until Toglia’s homer lit a candle of hope in the ninth.
Feltner, trying to stake his claim in next season’s starting rotation, didn’t pitch poorly, giving up just five hits in his 5 2/3 innings. But he made a handful of mistakes that cost him big time.
In the first inning, Feltner issued a one-out walk to Dansby Swanson before hanging a 1-0 slider to the dangerous Austin Riley. The Braves third baseman crushed the slider for a two-run homer to right field, his 32nd homer of the season.
In the fifth, Ronald Acuna Jr. rocketed a two-out solo homer to center off Feltner. Acuna hit Feltner’s first-pitch change-up 444 feet to dead center, the hit rocketing off his bat at 111 mph.
The Braves led 3-0, and with Wright on the mound, the Rockies were in deep trouble. The right-hander won his 17th game, allowing five singles, striking out six and walking two.
The two clubs will play the rubber match of the three-game series on Thursday night at Truist Park.
