Rockies Lose 3B Arenado To Injury, Game To Braves

[May 24, 2014]  Laird, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, lined a single into left field with two outs off Adam Ottavino (0-1), scoring Ramiro Pena as the Braves won for the fifth time in six games. David Carpenter (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth to record his 13th save, moving within two of John Smoltz’s franchise career record of 154.

Michael Cuddyer finished with two hits for the Rockies, including a game-tying solo homer in the sixth, but Colorado lost third baseman Nolan Arenado to a fractured left middle finger in the second inning. Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton joined Laird with two hits apiece for Atlanta.

Arenado doubled to left leading off the second – injuring his finger on a head-first slide into the second-base bag – and later scored on Jordan Pacheco’s groundout to put the Rockies ahead 1-0. Laird’s second-inning double scored Dan Uggla to tie the game and Atlanta moved ahead in the third when Justin Upton drove home B.J. Upton on a groundout.
 

Cuddyer led off the sixth by hammering a 1-2 pitch from Atlanta starter Gavin Floyd into the left-field seats, his fourth homer of the season tying the contest at 2. Pena led off the eighth with a double off the center-field wall and, after the next two Braves struck out, Laird lined a 1-1 pitch through the hole between short and third.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pena was in the game after Atlanta 3B Chris Johnson was removed following a second-inning strikeout; the team announced the move was not injury-related. … Colorado starter Jordan Lyles gave up two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in six innings, while Floyd struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings while allowing two runs on seven hits. … Cuddyer ran down Justin Upton’s slicing line drive with the bases loaded to end the seventh.

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