The Atlanta Braves play the Colorado Rockies on Thursday in Game 4 of their series. The game begins at 3:10 p.m. ET. Listen to the live radio broadcast below.
Colorado can end the series in a tie with a win Thursday. The Rockies bounced back from two-straight losses on Wednesday with an 8-2 victory, thanks in part to the solid debut of pitcher Tyler Matzek. The left-hander made his first major league start on Wednesday and retired Atlanta's first 13 batters, according to the Associated Press.
"The first inning was really, really nervous," Matzek told the Associated Press. "Mac (catcher Mike McKenry) was calming me down, telling me it was the same thing as Triple-A, just go out there and play your game. I let it be a positive thing, not a negative thing. If I try to fight it, it turns into a negative thing so I was just embracing it."
He finished his first start with seven strike outs while giving up just two earned runs on five hits through seven innings.
"A masterful performance by Tyler. An explosive fastball and his slider looked like it disappeared," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He had it all working. He commanded it. Very impressive."
Matzek's first pro start also impressed Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez.
"He has good stuff, 94-95 mph fastball," Gonzalez said. "The whole day you're talking to guys, 'Hey, this guy sprays it around a little bit. Be patient.' I'm not sure how many three-ball counts he got into, if any."
Matzek benefitted from solid run support, too. Outfielders Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson drove in two runs and three runs, respectively.
Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (0-4, 5.35 ERA) starts on Thursday. He's still looking for his first win of the season after Saturday's no-decision in Colorado's 5-4 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chacin will be opposed by Braves pitcher Ervin Santana (5-2, 3.69). His start in Saturday's 4-3 loss at Arizona resulted in a no-decision despite not allowing any earned runs.
