Lanschaften » Kyle Freeland commanded all four of his pitches and had his s

ATLANTA (AP) — lider working especially well.It’s been a smooth ride for the left-hander since mid-June.“I’ve been trying to hold that feeling and keep on going with that Jesse Barfield Jersey ,” Freeland said. “See how long I can ride it out.”Ian Desmond tripled and drove in five runs, Freeland pitched six strong innings and the Colorado Rockies coasted to an 11-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.The Rockies have won six of seven, and they’re 28-14 since June 28, tops in the NL over that span. And they’ve done it without the benefit of many blowouts: Friday’s game snapped a franchise-long, 25-game streak in which the Rockies scored six runs or fewer.“I think at this time of year you want to be playing good baseball, and we are,” Desmond said. “We believe in what we can do, and it’s a good feeling to have at this point.”Sean Newcomb struggled for his second straight start as Atlanta’s NL East lead dropped to one-half game over Philadelphia. Colorado began the night 1½ games out of the West lead.Ronald Acuna Jr. reached on an infield single in the first against Freeland and scored on a sacrifice fly, but that was all Atlanta could muster against him.Freeland (11-7) gave up three hits and four walks and struck out four, improving to 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA over 12 starts since June 16. Freeland’s 2.96 season ERA leads all NL left-handers with enough qualifying innings.“We’re seeing a pitcher grow up before our eyes, which is great,” Colorado manager Bud Black said.Newcomb (10-6) struck out Freeland to escape a bases-loaded jam in the second, but he wasn’t as fortunate with bases full in the third as Desmond tripled into left-center to make it 3-1.Desmond helped get the Rockies on the board again in the four-run sixth. He singled Brett Anderson Jersey , stole second and scored on Chris Iannetta’s single. Charlie Blackmon’s two-run triple chased Newcomb, who gave up nine hits, seven runs and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.Newcomb had gone 8-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 14 starts following an Atlanta loss, but he was coming off a no-decision last Sunday against Milwaukee in which he gave up five runs and a single-game career-high 12 hits in four innings.“It just seemed like it was a struggle for him from the get-go,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s going to have games like that. He’s not perfect. He’ll have to get through it, regroup and get ready for the next one.”The Braves have lost 21 of their last 28 games against the Rockies, including eight of the last 10 in Atlanta.Dansby Swanson had an RBI double for Atlanta in the seventh. DJ LeMahieu added an RBI single and Desmond had a two-run single in the eighth.LeMahieu drove in a run off Charlie Culberson, a utility man making his first career pitching appearance, in the ninth. The Braves added three runs in the bottom half of the inning.STREAK INTACTAcuna was credited with a hit in his first at-bat even though shortstop Trevor Story fielded the hard grounder and threw wildly to first. Acuna has reached safely in eight straight plate appearances leading off a game, with three homers, two singles, one walk and a hit by pitch over that span.STRUGGLINGAdam Duvall went 1 for 4 and stranded two runners in eighth. He’s hitting .120 in 25 at-bats since Atlanta acquired him in a trade with Cincinnati last month.TRAINER’S ROOMRockies: Manager Bud Black said LHP Mike Dunn, on the disabled list with a shoulder inflammation http://www.bluejaysfanproshop.com/authentic-george-bell-jersey , looked good in a simulated game and will begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of days. … RHP Scott Oberg was reinstated from the paternity list. LHP Harrison Musgrave was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.Braves: LHP Max Fried began a rehab assignment Friday for Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He’s been out 11 games with a left groin strain.UP NEXTRockies: RHP Antonio Senzatela (4-3, 4.56 ERA) will be reinstated from the disabled list and make his seventh start. He is 1-3 with a 5.81 ERA in three starts and six relief appearances on the road.Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (10-7, 2.86 ERA) will make his 24th start. The first-time All-Star is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA in three starts this month. The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly the leading contenders to land Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado via trade, according to Fancred's Jon Heyman.Heymanadded that while the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers have an "outside chance," talks between the O's and Dodgers are heading "toward the finish line."Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com had reported Monday that Philadelphia was "the most likely destination" for Machado, but Heyman is expecting a deal to get done with the Dodgers this week.The 26-year-old Machado is in the midst of his best season, hitting .315 with 24 home runs and 65 RBI.The four-time All-Star ison pace for career highs in most major offensive categories, which makes him one of the most highly sought after deadline rentals in recent memory.Since Machado can become a free agent during the offseason, the team that trades for him will be taking a huge risk in terms of giving up assets in return for what may only be a few months of Machado's services.It may be a worthwhile move for a team like the Dodgers since they hold a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West.The National League is weak in comparison to the American League, which means the door is open for several teams to potentially make a deep run.Considering the Phillies and Brewers are also in playoff positions currently, acquiring Machado would not only help the Dodgers, but it would also prevent some of their closest competitors from getting better.Acquiring Machado would likely kick Chris Taylor back to the outfield Dave Winfield Jersey , giving the Dodgers one of Major League Baseball's most potent infields, as it also includes Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Justin Turner.L.A. has a deep and talented farm system, and although it is unclear who it would need to part with in order to land Machado,MLB.comlists outfielder Alex Verdugo, catcher Keibert Ruiz, pitcher Mitchell White, outfielder Yusniel Diaz and pitcher Dennis Santana as some of the Dodgers' top prospects.The Dodgers have been on a roll since some early-season struggles, and while they are a respectable ninth in the league in runs scored and fifth in home runs, Machado would both elevate their offensive potency and likely make them the team to beat in the NL if they aren't already.