Despite a strong showing from the Rockies’ lineup, leading 7-5 in the eighth inning, the pitching staff was unable to solidify a victory for Colorado.

The Colorado Rockies lost to the Atlanta Braves, 8-7 Sunday afternoon after the couldn’t protect a late lead.

Ahead are takeaways from the loss.

Oh crumbles in the 8th

Rockies relief pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh was unable to preserve a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing the Braves to come from behind a spoil what could have been a series sweep for Colorado.

Oh replaced Carlos Estevez on the mound to start the eighth inning and quickly retired Dansby Swanson for the first out of the inning. Oh then proceeded to allow a single to Tyler Flowers.

With a runner on, the Braves opted to pinch hit Ender Inciarte in place of Jacob Webb. Oh managed to get Inciarte to line out to left field for the second out of the inning.

From there, things started to unravel. With two outs and a runner on base, Ozzie Albies hit a single to right field to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, Josh Donaldson.

Donaldson worked a 1-1 count and then proceeded to crank a ball that was high and outside over the fence in right field for a three-run home run, putting the Braves ahead 8-7.

Anderson’s struggles continue 

Rockies’ starting pitcher Tyler Anderson’s struggles continued Sunday versus Atlanta.

Anderson’s ineffectiveness was present from the get-go when he allowed a leadoff home run to Albies on his second pitch of the afternoon. Anderson then proceeded to issue a walk to Donaldson before surrendering another home run, this time to Freddie Freeman, establishing an early 3-0 lead for the home team.

Despite the early hole, the Rockies managed to not just bail Anderson out, but give him a lead to pitch with following a four-run third inning.

The lead did not last long as Albies again ripped a leadoff home run off of Anderson in the bottom of the third, tieing the game at four runs apiece.

The Rockies’ subsequently managed to push a run across in the fourth inning via a sacrifice fly from Tony Wolters, only for Anderson to again allow Atlanta to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning.

With the game tied at five, Anderson trotted back to the mound to begin the fifth inning but was then yanked from the game following a pair of walks.

Anderson departed with a line of 4.2 innings pitched, allowing five runs on four hits while walking three batters and striking out nine.

The nine punchouts are a major positive for Anderson, but the longball riddled him in the end. The 29-year-old has been effective in spurts for the Rockies over the past few seasons but has been unable to establish consistency on the mound this season due to injuries and poor performance.

There is certainly potential with Anderson, but time is running out for the lone southpaw in the Rockies’ rotation to earn his keep.

Beat the streak 

The Rockies offense continued to roll in the series finale versus the Atlanta Braves, most notably Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon. Both players entered Sunday’s matinee riding double-digit hitting streaks, both of which were extended in the loss.

Blackmon extended his streak to 11 games in the top of the third inning where he grounded a single through the left side of the infield with a runner in scoring position to score the first run of the game for Colorado.

Blackmon is hitting .367 (18-for-49) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 10 RBI over the stretch. Blackmon has settled into the season nicely after a dismal start in which he hit .219 through the club’s first 17 games.

Story followed by smashing a ground-rule double to right field, scoring Blackmon and pushing his streak to 16 games, which is the longest active hitting streak in baseball. The double was good for the 100th of his major league career.

Veterans stepping up

After hitting his first home run as a member of the Rockies in Saturday night’s victory, Daniel Murphy followed up with an encore, crushing a three-run home run to right-center field.

Since returning from the injured list, Daniel Murphy has instrumentally effected the overall complexion of the Rockies’ lineup. His ability to work deep into counts and put the ball in play has helped kickstart the Rockies’ offense into gear. Colorado has averaged 8.3 runs per game since Murphy’s return.

Ian Desmond also made his presence known Sunday, collecting a pair of hits.

Like Murphy, Desmond smacked his second home run of the season Sunday, a solo shot to right field in the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie and re-establish a lead for Colorado.

Desmond has hit safely in six of his last seven starts, owning a 9-27 (.333) batting average in that span.

Next up, the Rockies (13-15) are in Milwaukee (15-14) to play the Brewers starting tomorrow at 5:40 p.m. MT.