DENVER – More than 20 months. That's how long it had been since Gavin Floyd got a 'W' next to his name in a major-league game.
After 11 starts, six losses, one complicated elbow surgery and a long rehabilitation, Floyd ended his drought Monday night — and did it at one of the toughest places to pitch.
The veteran right-hander allowed just three hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings of a 3-1 victory against the Rockies to open a four-game series at Coors Field. Floyd (1-2) had three walks and four strikeouts.
Chris Johnson had three hits including two RBI singles for the Braves, who took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and avoided the kind of meltdowns they had while blowing similar leads in consecutive weekend losses at Arizona.
Impressive rookie Shae Simmons pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning — striking out Troy Tulowitzki for the third out — and Craig Kimbrel allowed a two-out walk in the ninth before striking out Wilin Rosario for his 17th save in 20 opportunities.
Floyd was 0-6 in 11 starts since his last win for the Chicago White Sox at Cleveland on Oct. 3, 2012, his final start that season. He made five starts for the White Sox in 2013 before season-ending surgery to repair both a torn ulnar collateral ligament (Tommy John surgery) and a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow.
He was 0-2 despite a solid 2.80 ERA in six starts for the Braves before Monday, when Floyd limited the opposition to one earned run for the fourth time this season. But this time, the Braves gave him some run support and solid defense, areas that had been lacking in several of his previous starts.
Floyd surrendered a leadoff homer to Corey Dickerson in the seventh inning to trim the Braves’ lead to 2-1, and was replaced after issuing a two-out walk to DJ LeMahieu. Pinch-hitter Brandon Barnes bounced a double up the middle against reliever Luis Avilan to put runners at second and third, but Avilan retired Charlie Blackmon on a comebacker to end the inning.
The Braves added an insurance run in the eighth after Justin Upton led off with a walk and Evan Gattis singled to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Johnson followed with an RBI single that pushed the lead to 3-1, his third consecutive hit in a span of five innings.
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