Friday’s game at Truist Park presented a case of National League contrasts, and it showed in the final line — and everywhere in between — as Atlanta hammered its way to an 8-1 win over Colorado.
The Braves looked the part of a franchise that’s made five straight playoff appearances, with a World Series title in that span and the capability to match that championship feat this fall.
The Rockies, meanwhile, looked like a franchise with no identity and no obvious sense of immediate positive direction. And Colorado is a club with such a dearth of legitimate starting pitching depth that the Rockies deem it necessary to trot out a pitcher with an ERA north of 10 against perhaps the most stacked lineup in the National League.