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Colorado's Trevor Story has a rookie HR record tale to tell

By Jack Etkin, The Sports Xchange
Trevor Story. (Instagram)
Trevor Story. (Instagram)

DENVER -- Trevor Story added to his burgeoning rookie lore Saturday night for the Rockies, hitting two home runs to set a record and driving in a career-high five runs as Colorado beat the Atlanta Braves 8-4.

The Rockies have won nine straight games from the Braves at Coors Field dating to June 2014 and 13 of their past 15 games overall against them. Colorado will try to sweep the four-game series Sunday.

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Story, who had a career-high four hits, hit a two-run single in the Rockies' five-run sixth. He drove in Colorado's first two runs when he belted his 25th home run of the season in the second, following a walk to Nolan Arenado.

Story led off the eighth with his 26th home run, adding to his record for a National League rookie shortstop. He broke the mark Troy Tulowitzki set when he hit 24 homers for the Rockies in 2007.

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"I think it was cool, because 'Tulo' set it before, and he was kind of my mentor," Story said. "He helped me out a lot. So to break his record is pretty cool. Anytime you get to do something like that, it's pretty special."

Story has hit five homers in his past six games with 10 RBIs, giving him 67 for the season. This was his fourth multihomer game of the season and first since July 7 against Philadelphia.

Story raised his average to .272, the highest it has been since he was hitting .277 on May 27.

"He just continues to do big things," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "It seems like he breaks another record every week or two. He keeps clicking, having a dream season."

Story's two-run single gave the Rockies a 5-3 lead and drove Atlanta starter Matt Wisler from the game with one out in the fifth. Wisler (4-10) gave up a one-out walk and a single to Arenado. Gonzalez doubled home a run, and Story followed with his single.

"I was really pleased with the first five innings," interim Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "He did everything we asked him to do that he worked on in between the last start. He was really good. He was on the attack, he was using his changeup better and more, which is what we wanted him to do. He's getting the ball in on the hitter's better."

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However, Snitker said in the sixth, Wisler "seemed like he'd been rattled. You got to get over that hump. It's a nine-inning ball game and you got to just keep the pedal to the metal. I was only going to use him one more inning anyway. You've just got to make better pitches in that inning."

Tony Wolters, the seventh straight batter to reach base, plated the final two runs of the inning with a bases-loaded single.

The timing of the rally enabled Tyler Anderson (3-3) to win his third straight start. He allowed eight hits and three runs in six innings with one walk and six strikeouts in his 91-pitch outing. Anderson worked at least six innings for the fifth straight start and the sixth time in his eight career starts.

He retired eight of the final nine batters he faced as his bread-and-butter changeup became more effective.

"I was throwing some changeups up and they were getting hit a little bit or were for balls," Anderson said, "so guys kind of eliminated it or they swung at it, because it was right down the middle. I think later we were able to get ahead a little bit better and get situations were we could use it and it was a little more useful."

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The Braves cut the lead to 7-4 on first baseman Mark Reynolds' error in the eighth. It came after Jake McGee hit Freddie Freeman with a pitch, and Nick Markakis doubled.

Chase d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly put the Braves ahead 3-2 in the fourth. Freeman singled with one out in the third and ended up on third base when right fielder Carlos Gonzalez let the ball get past him. After Markakis walked, Adonis Garcia singled to tie the game at 2-2. Wisler, who was 2-for-32 with one RBI this season, singled with two outs in the second to give the Braves a 1-0 lead that Story quickly wiped out with his first homer of the game.

NOTES: The game was delayed by rain for 47 minutes after the second inning. ... Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon went 0-for-5, ending his career-high 14-game hitting streak. ... Rockies RHP Chad Qualls (colitis), who is 2-0 with a 5.61 ERA in 36 games, was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 16. RHP Scott Oberg was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to begin his third stint with the Rockies this season and retired the side in order in the seventh. At Albuquerque, Oberg is 1-0 with nine saves and a 2.43 ERA in 27 games. ... Rockies RHP Justin Miller (left oblique strain) threw 25 pitches in batting practice and is scheduled to make one-inning rehab appearances for Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ... Braves RHP Julio Teheran reported only normal stiffness on Saturday after leaving his Friday start in the fifth inning with right lat tightness. ... Braves RHP Shea Simmons allowed one hit and one run in one inning with one strikeout for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves in his first rehab appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery on Feb. 12, 2015.

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