 struck out seven and walked two. Coming into the day, the right-hander was 1-7 with a 6.57 ERA in 13 road starts since Aug. 12, 2016.Gray was pulled after giving up Matt Adams' leadoff single in the seventh. Pat Neshek gave up a single to Ozzie Albies but escaped the jam when pinch hitter Matt Kemp bounced into a double play.Jake McGee worked the ninth for his third save. He also saved Colorado's 7-6 victory on Saturday night.Mike Foltynewicz (10-10) lost his fourth straight start despite allowing only one run and four hits in five innings. Parra led off the second with a single to right field and scored on Story's one-out double to left.Parra also led off the sixth with a single up the middle and scored on Reynolds' homer to left field off A. J. Minter.TRAINER'S ROOMRockies INF-OF Ian Desmond was to play shortstop for Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday as he neared the expected end of his injury rehabilitation for a right calf strain. Desmond, a former shortstop with Washington, has played first base and the outfield in his first season with the Rockies. He could see time at shortstop when he comes off the disabled list. Story entered Sunday's game with a .224 batting average.CLOSING QUESTIONGreg Holland's 36 saves rank second in the majors, but his grasp of the closer's role with the contending Rockies is shaky. He has a 7.36 ERA since June 15 with four homers allowed in his last seven appearances. He was pulled in the ninth inning of Saturday night's game and was unavailable Sunday while trying to work out problems with his slider.Manager Bud Black said Holland ''is going through a tough time,'' but he would not say Holland has been removed from the role. Black said he would ''navigate'' save situations for now.UP NEXTRockies: Rookie RHP Antonio Senzatela (10-4, 4.52 ERA) will make his first start against Detroit as Colorado opens a nine-game homestand.Braves: Rookie RHP Lucas Sims (2-3, 4.13 ERA) will make his fifth start, and his first against Philadelphia, as the Braves begin a seven-game road trip.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Rockies, Braves play in series rubber match Sunday 1h ago• 2 min read ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves are hopeful that right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, a projected top-of-the-rotation starter, can find a way to turn his season around.Foltynewicz (10-9, 4.95 ERA) will be opposed on Sunday by Colorado right-hander Jon Gray (5-3, 4.54) in the finale of a three-game series at SunTrust Park.The teams have split the first two games. The Rockies won 7-6 on Saturday and evened the season series a 3-3. It is the final game of a homestand that has seen the Braves go 3-5. The Rockies are 2-4 on the current road trip, which ends Sunday.Foltynewicz is a power arm who the team sees at a long-term fixture in the rotation. The season started well and was 10-6 with a 3.94 after beating the Marlins on Aug. 5. But the three starts since then have been a disaster.Over his last three starts, Foltynewicz has allowed 20 runs in 11 2/3 innings. His ERA has risen a full point, leading to some frustration on the part of Foltynewicz."This game has a tendency to always try you," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "It's always an obstacle in this game to overcome. You have to be mentally strong and fight through it and that's kind of where he's at right now. He's going to have to make it happen, take command of that." Foltynewicz has worked on mastering his emotions on the mound, but admitted he sometimes allows a bad call or bad break to take its toll."When you get hit around out there multiple times in a row, it definitely does something to your confidence," Foltynewicz said. "In this game you have to forget about things and it's tough when things like that keep happening, but you have to forget it and put it in the past. We'll figure it out and get back to where I was in the past year." Gray, on the other hand, has pitched well in August. In three starts this month, he's 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA. He lost his last start on Aug. 22 against Kansas City, but pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs.Gray beat the Braves on Aug. 16, giving up two runs in six innings. It fit with his career numbers against Atlanta, as he's 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three starts against the Braves."I try to ditch all the negative thoughts," Gray said after losing to the Royals. "After every game, I feel positive because I know exactly what to do to fix the problems. I am going to take it into this week and work on it really hard." Colorado has some ongoing concern with closer Greg Holland, who almost blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Saturday. Holland allowed a two-run pinch-hit homer to Matt Adams and was removed after Ender Inciarte singled and represented the tying run. Jake McGee had to save the game."I think we have to address the slider to make sure we get the right rotation, a good spin on it," Colorado manager Bud Black said. "The velocity is fine. The location of the slider is the problem and we've got to get to the bottom of it." Since June 15, Holland is 2-5 with a 7.77 ERA (22 innings, 19 earned runs). He has been scored upon in nine of those 23 appearances.
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