Missing In Action: If you know location of Rockies offense, please contact authorities

The Colorado Rockies managed a brief respite from their losing ways on Thursday but returned to the exact formula that has so plagued them in recent days and weeks. In their first game in Atlanta against the Braves, they once again could not build anything resembling a consistent offensive threat. They fell 5-2 in another lackluster, listless, lethargic, lamentable losing effort.

Unlike in most of their other frustrating losses of late, the Rockies didn’t get much from their starting pitcher. Chad Bettis was tagged for five runs in the first three innings and while he was able to recover and shut it down from there, it wouldn’t matter with the lack of output from the ever-so-struggling Colorado offense.

Julio Teheran, as he always is against the Rockies, was excellent in 7.1 innings of work, scattering five hits and allowing just two runs without walking a batter. He and Matt Kemp continue to be players that haunt Colorado no matter what uniform they wear.

Speaking of Kemp, we went a predictable 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. He came a triple shy of the cycle. He must just light up whenever he sees purple uniforms.

The Rockies scored a run in the third on a single from Charlie Blackmon who now leads MLB in the hit category, though it may short-lived with Houston’s Jose Altuve just starting play.

Their only other run came in the seventh on a solo home run from Mark Reynolds, his 27th of the season. Reynolds was also the only Rockie to record more than one hit in the game. They finished with six total.

Tyler Chatwood pitched two scoreless innings and Adam Ottavino, while he did issue two walks, worked another clean inning himself, giving Colorado six shutout frames of baseball to finish the night on. But the early damage was done and the offenses’ continued lack of ability to score more than two or three runs once again led to their downfall.

The Rockies fell to 69-60. Their exact place in the Wild Card race remains a question with the other teams in question still playing.