A pair of National League teams on opposite sides of the playoff cut line open up a series on the diamond down in Hotlanta. The Colorado Rockies play the first game of a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves Tuesday night. Colorado salvaged the finale of a four-game set with the Mets on the road Sunday afternoon, winning 1-0 to avoid a sweep. Atlanta dropped the rubber game of a three-game series on the road with St. Louis as they were knocked off 6-3 Sunday night. In the first series between the teams this season, the Braves swept all four games at Coors Field June 2-5.
Colorado managed to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Mets in the Big Apple as they scratched out a victory Sunday afternoon. The Rockies entered Monday last in the NL West, 34.5 games behind the Dodgers for the top spot in the division race. They were 15 games behind the Padres for the final wild card spot in the National League. On Sunday, Colorado outhit the Mets 7-3 with Charlie Blackmon and Randal Grichuk each recording a pair. Brian Serven knocked in the game’s lone run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning for the Rockies. German Marquez (7-10) earned the win with seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two walks and five strikeouts. Daniel Bard worked a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit with no walks and one strikeout, for his 27th save of the season.
Jose Urena is slated to get the call in this contest for Colorado as he makes his 15th appearance and 1 1th start of the season. He comes in 2-5 with a 5.98 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP, 31 walks and 31 strikeouts over 58.2 innings of work on the year. Urena was shelled as he took the loss in his last start, which came Wednesday on the road against the Rangers. He threw 1.1 innings, allowing nine runs on nine hits with three walks and one strikeout in a game the Rockies dropped 16-4. In his last three starts, Urena is 1-2 with a 10.29 ERA, a 1.857 WHIP, seven walks and nine strikeouts over 14 innings of work. Urena makes his 19th career appearance and 16th start against the Braves in this contest. He comes in 2-9 with a 6.50 ERA, a 1.486 WHIP, 31 walks and 45 strikeouts over 73.1 innings of work against them. Urena is 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA, a 1.019 WHIP, 12 walks and 19 strikeouts over 35.1 innings in seven career starts at Truist Park.