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Atlanta sends Cy Young Award hopeful Chris Sale to the mound on Tuesday to begin a three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies, who will try to derail the Braves’ playoff hopes.

Atlanta (74-63) is seven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East after losing three of four to the Phillies over the weekend. The Braves entered Monday leading the New York Mets by one game for the final NL wild-card spot.

Colorado (51-87) has the worst record in the National League. Colorado lost two of three in its weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles. But the Rockies won a three-game series against the Braves in early August.

Sale (15-3, 2.58 ERA) will be opposed by Kyle Freeland (4-6, 5.51) in a matchup of left-handed starters.

Sale beat the Minnesota Twins in his last start Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts over six innings. He has won five straight decisions and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since June 1 against the Oakland Athletics.

Sale is still looking for his first career win against Colorado. He has faced them three times (one start) and is 0-0 with a 1.74 ERA. He did not start against the Rockies when the team played in Colorado last month.

Freeland beat the Miami Marlins in his last start — his 200th career appearance — on Wednesday when he pitched six innings and allowed two runs with five strikeouts, giving him 800 for his career, fourth-best in franchise history. He is 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 12 starts since returning from the injured list with a left elbow strain.

“Obviously I’ve had a somewhat long career here as a Rockie and starting to hit some milestones, creeping up on some of those leaderboards,” Freeland said.

Freeland is 1-4 with a 6.34 ERA in nine career starts against the Braves. He did not get a decision in his last start against Atlanta on Aug. 11 when he was removed for a blister after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Atlanta’s chances to catch the Phillies and win its seventh straight division title are growing longer after the disappointing weekend.

“Honestly, I felt like we could have walked out of (Philadelphia) with three of four,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “We didn’t execute enough.”

The Braves blew a 4-0 lead on Thursday and lost 5-4. It was more painful on Sunday when Atlanta lost 3-2 in 11 innings after going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and leaving the bases loaded without scoring in the ninth.

“There’s no good way to sugarcoat it right now,” Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson said. “It sucks losing the series.”

The series will mark a homecoming for Colorado rookie infielder Aaron Schunk, who played at the Lovett School in metro Atlanta and starred for the University of Georgia. He was Colorado’s second-round pick in 2019 and was recalled to the majors on June 28. Schunk is hitting .175 and hit his first — and to date only — home run in Freeland’s last start.

–Field Level Media