Colorado @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 29, 2013 ) Colorado 8, Atlanta 9

Right-hander Juan Nicasio is a different pitcher since returning from the minor leagues, but will face a stern test when the Colorado Rockies visit the first-place Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Nicasio is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in three starts following a demotion to Triple-A Colorado Springs, and said he is striving more to "locate the fastball and try to go deep in the game.'' Nicasio has pitched seven innings in two of his last three starts, something he did not do in his 16 previous outings.

Atlanta improved to a major league-best 35-15 at home following a wild 9-8 victory in 10 innings Monday when it blew a pair of leads after erasing a 5-0 deficit. The Braves also continued their mastery of the Rockies in Atlanta by improving to 25-7 against them since 2003 while increasing their lead over Washington in the National League East to nine games. Colorado, which was coming off a disappointing 5-5 homestand, is 6 1/2 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT Sports (Colorado), SportSouth (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Juan Nicasio (6-4, 4.40 ERA) vs. Braves LH Alex Wood (0-2, 3.42)

Nicasio allowed two hits and struck out a season-high nine in seven shutout innings while throwing 98 pitches Thursday before a rain delay in a 0-0 game ended his day. Colorado eventually lost to the Miami Marlins 5-3, but the 26-year-old again demonstrated the ability to consistently work ahead of hitters. In his previous two starts, Nicasio yielded one run and six hits over 12 innings in victories over the Chicago Cubs and the red-hot Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Wood made two starts totaling 7 1/3 innings - both losses - among his 17 appearances since being recalled from Double-A Mississippi on May 30. The latest setback occurred in his last outing, when he yielded four runs and eight hits - all singles - in 4 1/3 innings of a 7-4 loss to the Mets in New York on Thursday. The 22-year-old rookie, who has struck out 31 and walked 10 in 26 1/3 innings, was a second-round draft pick by Atlanta in 2012.

WALK-OFFS

1. Atlanta 3B Chris Johnson leads the National League with a .339 average and is 12-for-26 during his seven-game hitting streak.

2. Rockies LF Carlos Gonzalez, who is second in the NL with 26 home runs, stole his 20th and 21st bases Monday to record his fourth consecutive 20-20 season, extending his club record. He also matched a career high with five hits.

3. LHP Scott Downs arrived at the ballpark moments before the start of Monday's game after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels and earned the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Downs, 37, has a 1.76 ERA and left-handed batters are hitting .192 against him.

PREDICTION: Braves 3, Rockies 2