Rockies Roll Past Braves

April 17, 1999 / 7:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP

John Rocker is used to overpowering people with a 100 mph fastball. On Saturday, it was his turn to be blown away.

Rocker, trying to settle in as Atlanta's new closer, gave up three runs in the ninth inning as the Colorado Rockies rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Braves.

"I really didn't have that good a feel on my breaking ball, but when you throw 101 mph, who needs a breaking ball?" Rocker said. "I'm confused, really. That's about the best stuff I've ever had."

Though he hit 100 mph twice on the radar gun, Rocker (0-1) struggled with his control, walking two hitters in the ninth to set up Darryl Hamilton's RBI single that scored Pat Watkins with the winning run.

"Straight gas. That was all I was looking for," Hamilton said."That guy throws hard. He throws hard. I was looking to make contact. There was no plan other than making contact and hope it falls."

Pinch-hitter Angel Echevarria tied the game with a one-out single that scored Todd Helton and Mike Lansing, setting up Hamilton's soft line drive to left-center. Watkins scored just ahead of the throw from center fielder Andruw Jones.

"I didn't expect the play to be that close," Watkins said. "I got a good jump on a slicing line drive and honestly thought I would be able to walk in. Jones made a great play and a great throw."

Rocker, pitching for the first time in eight days, looked rusty as he walked Helton, gave up a single to Lansing and walked Watkins after being ahead in the count. He nearly put Watkins away with an 0-2 slider.

"After you see two 98 to 100 mph fastballs on the black, how do you lay off that pitch when it's 88 or 89 mph?" Rocker said. "It starts in the same place and dies down. How do you lay off that? I don't know. They did a good job."

Rocker inherited Atlanta's closing job after a season-ending injury to Kerry Ligtenberg and wildness by Mark Wohlers, who was traded Friday.

Chuck McElroy (1-0) retired all four hitters he faced to get the victory in relief.

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"We were fortunate today, but that isn't going to happen very often," Rockies manager Jim Leyland said. "When you play nine innings, things can happen every now and again."

Tom Glavine avoided his first three-game losing streak in three years but got a no-decision after allowing two runs in seven innings for the Braves, who were playing for the first time in three days.

Atlanta was rained out in Philadelphia on Thursday and got snowed out in Denver on Friday.

"This is not a pitcher's ballpark, so to come in here struggling to begin with and then have to pitch in this park is not an ideal situation," said Glavine, who had given up 10 earned runs in his first two starts.

Otis Nixon's sacrifice fly broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh and Brian Jordan homered in the eighth to give the Braves a two-run lead.

Rockies starter Darryl Kile was spared his second straight hard-luck loss. Seven days after losing 2-0 to Kevin Brown and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kile gave up three runs two earned and six hits in seven innings.

Glavine limited the Rockies to run-scoring singles by Vinny Castilla and Lansing. He struck out five and walked one before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Notes: Atlanta first baseman Ryan Klesko sat out with a strained right hamstring he sustained Wednesday in Philadelphia. ... The Braves had two straight games postponed by weather for the first time since April 1994. ... Atlanta rookie 1B Randall Simon made the play of the day, nearly falling into the Colorado dugout to make a snow-cone catch to end the fifth inning. ... Colorado's Kurt Abbott played for the first time in nine games. He struck out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh. ... For his career, Echevarria is 2-for-3 with four RBIs with the bases loaded.