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Braves-Rockies Preview

Aug 25, 2010 - 5:34 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Atlanta (73-52) at Colorado (64-60), 3:10 p.m. EDT

It's been two months since the Atlanta Braves lost three in a row and were swept in a series.

The NL East-leading Braves look to keep both from happening again when they conclude their series with the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

Atlanta (73-53) took two of three from Chicago to open a six-game trip, but has dropped the first two in Denver. The Braves, who fell 5-2 on Tuesday, have not lost three consecutive games since being swept by the Chicago White Sox from June 22-24.

Atlanta, which owns a 2 1/2-game lead in the East, has lost three in a row and seven of 10 at Colorado.

"We want to really take this team to the playoffs, and we're doing everything we can to do it," scheduled starter Jair Jurrjens told the Braves' official website.

Atlanta must avoid more nights like Tuesday, when Alex Gonzalez provided all the offense with a homer and two RBIs. Omar Infante singled to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, during which he is batting .429.

Derrek Lee, however, went 1 for 4 and is 2 for 19 with eight strikeouts in five games since the Braves acquired him from the Cubs last week.

Jurrjens (5-4, 3.91 ERA) seeks a fifth straight solid outing while looking to continue his success against Colorado.

The right-hander has gone 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA over his last four starts. He allowed three runs in seven innings but did not get a decision in a 5-3 win at Chicago on Friday.

Jurrjens is 4-1 with a 3.02 ERA in six starts versus Colorado, and 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA at Coors Field. He gave up three runs and struck out nine in eight innings of a 4-3 home win over the Rockies on April 18, although he didn't get the victory.

Carlos Gonzalez, 1 for 4 with a home run against Jurrjens, homered for the 26th time Tuesday as the Rockies (65-60) improved to 40-20 at home with their third consecutive victory overall.

"We've started to generate a little bit of momentum for ourselves," manager Jim Tracy said. "There's a lot of good things going on (at home)."

Gonzalez is batting .374 at home and has hit all but six of his home runs this season at Coors. He is 7 for 18 with two home runs and six RBIs against the Braves in 2010.

The outfielder is the seventh player in Rockies history to record at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season.

"It's really special," Gonzalez told the team's official website. "You have to keep working hard and bring something different to the field every single day."

Facing Atlanta for the first time, Esmil Rogers (2-2, 4.53) makes his fourth straight start for Colorado since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs earlier this month.

The right-hander, 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in his last three outings, allowed one run and struck out six in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-3, 10-inning loss at Arizona on Friday.