5 lead with 1:37 left in the first quarter. I

DENVER -- Pitching well since coming back last month from reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, Gavin Floyd cemented his return with the only missing element -- a win. Floyd pitched effectively into the seventh inning for his first win in more than two years, leading the Atlanta Braves past the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on Monday night. "Even though Ive felt good and felt like Ive been pitching really well, its nice to get that first one," said Floyd (1-2), who allowed only one earned run for the third time in his seven starts. "I felt like I mixed up all my pitches and kept them off balance." He even threw manager Fredi Gonzalez for a loop when he asked him for the lineup card after the game as a keepsake. Gonzalez said he didnt realize at first that it was his first win as a Brave and his first since undergoing Tommy John surgery. "I thought he was 3-0, 4-0, thats how well hes pitched," Gonzalez said. "But its his first win in two years. Good for him. It was a great outing." Floyd, who was limited to five starts last season while with the Chicago White Sox because of the elbow injury, allowed one run and three hits in 6 2-3 innings in picking up his first victory since beating Cleveland on Oct. 3, 2012. Signed by Atlanta as a free agent last December, Floyd snapped a career-long six-game losing streaking dating to April 2013. "Just for a keepsake," Floyd said of his request for the lineup card, which Gonzalez honoured. "Its a new chapter with this team and its exciting to me, the first win coming back from Tommy John. Im just thankful and hopefully get on a roll." Chris Johnson had three hits, including two RBI singles, to help the Braves beat the Rockies for the 15th time in 18 games since 2012. Evan Gattis had an RBI groundout and singled to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games. "Its nice to get back and get in that big part of the field and stay up the middle and have my bat be short to the ball," Johnson said. "It was good to give Gavin that cushion because thats all he needed." Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his 17th save in 20 chances. Christian Bergman, called up earlier Monday from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill in for the injured Jordan Lyles (broken left hand), allowed two runs and five hits in six innings in his major league debut. Originally a 24th-round draft pick out of the University of California Irvine in 2010, Bergman (0-1) struck out four and walked two in a solid outing that included singling in the third for his first major league hit. "Overall, it went pretty well," Bergman said. "The first two innings, the nerves were there. I was able to overcome that and settle in the last two innings. The only thing that would have made it better is if we came out with a win." The Braves got to him for their first two runs in the fourth with B.J. Upton beating out a slow roller toward third base leading off the inning for Atlantas first hit. Upton stole second, and after Freddie Freeman walked, went to third on a deep flyout by Justin Upton before scoring on Gattis grounder. Johnson followed with an RBI single to centre. Corey Dickerson homered off Floyd leading off the seventh. Floyd retired the next two batters but walked D.J. LeMahieu and was relieved by Luis Avilan. Pinch-hitter Brandon Barnes doubled but LeMahieu was stranded at third when Avilan induced an inning-ending groundout by Charlie Blackmon. The Braves got a run back in the eighth on Johnsons second run-scoring single. Before the game, the Rockies placed Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder fracture. He was injured diving for a ground ball at third base last Thursday against Arizona. Cuddyer said after the game doctors told him the injury could take six weeks to heal. "It was pretty painful the past few days," Cuddyer said. "Finishing that game (Thursday) was extremely painful and now we know why." NOTES: Braves RHP Jordan Walden, placed on the 15-day DL May 10 because of a strained left hamstring, pitched a scoreless inning Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett in his second rehab outing. ... The Braves play 19 of their 28 games in June on the road. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor (2-4) opposes RHP Juan Nicasio (5-4) in the second of the four-game series between the teams on Tuesday. ... The Rockies have not yet announced a replacement for RHP Eddie Butler, who was scratched from Wednesdays scheduled start after going on the 15-day DL with rotator cuff inflammation. ... Bergman was the fourth Rockies pitcher to make his major league debut this season. The others were Butler, Chris Martin and Tommy Kahnle. Wholesale Air Max . His head snapped back from the impact and hit the floor. The All-Star power forward was all right afterward, a relief for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cheap Nike Shoes China ." The game can be seen live on TSN starting with Monday Night Countdown at 6:30 p.m et/3:30 p.m. pt. The Patriots, who had a bye in Week 10, will look to continue the offensive success they had a week earlier when New England scored 55 points and racked up 610 yards of total offense in a 55-31 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. http://www.chinaairmaxcheap.com/ . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St. Cheap Air Max . Altidore strained his left hamstring in the Americans opener against Ghana on June 16 and didnt play in their next two games. "We dont know how much because we need to see how hes going, but hes available," U. LOS ANGELES -- Make no bones about it. Coach Mike DAntonis skeleton roster was no match for the opportunistic Charlotte Bobcats and Al Jeffersons dominating presence in the paint. Jefferson tied a career high with 40 points, 16 of them in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 18 rebounds to help the Bobcats send the floundering Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth straight defeat with a 110-100 victory Friday night. "I have those moments," Jefferson said. "They kept running plays for me and I kept scoring. In the first quarter, they werent going down for me, but I just kept staying with it because I knew sooner or later it would start going down for me. " Jefferson set a franchise record with his 11th straight game of 20 or more points, eclipsing the mark set by Jason Richardson in 2007-08. It was the 13th game this season in which an opposing player scored at least 30 against the Lakers, something that happened in 18 games last season -- and there are still 35 games remaining. Jefferson is averaging 19.9 points and 10.7 boards, but wasnt selected for the All-Star game and has yet to play in one in his 10 years in the league. "Ive been disappointed with the All-Star games, man, for many years. So I dont listen to the hype," Jefferson said. Gerald Henderson added 20 points for the Bobcats. Starting point guard Kemba Walker missed his sixth straight game since a sprained left ankle ended his career-opening consecutive game streak of 190. Ramon Sessions, who has started every game at the point during Walkers absence, had 13 assists and nine points. Sessions, along with starting power forward Josh McRoberts and reserve guard Jannero Pargo -- all former Lakers -- combined for 26 points and the Bobcats snapped a string of five straight defeats against Los Angeles. Charlotte shot 52.3 per cent from the field, improving to 5-0 when shooting at least 50 per cent. The victory was the Bobcats ninth on the road, four more than all of last season. Still missing Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry because of injuries, the Lakers lost for the 18th time in 21 games andd are only a half-game ahead of last-place Sacramento in the Western Conference standings just four seasons after winning their 16th NBA title.ddddddddddddPau Gasol had 24 points for Los Angeles and Nick Young added 21 off the bench. The Lakers have given up 100 or more points in 14 consecutive games, matching the clubs longest such streak since a 17-game stretch in 1986-87. Trailing by as many as 20 points after a pair of free throws by Jefferson with 4:21 left in the third quarter, the Lakers sliced the margin to 86-73 on a four-point play by Ryan Kelly. Los Angeles got it down to 86-78 on a layup by Robert Sacre with 11:01 to play, but that was as close as the Lakers got. Jefferson scored the Bobcats first eight points of the final quarter to help keep the Lakers at bay. "Hes been doing this to a lot of people," DAntoni said. "We tried a little bit of everything. We dug. We tried to play him a little bit straight up, at first. We tried to double-team him." Jefferson, who signed a three-year, $41 million contract with the Bobcats in July, powered them to a 62-49 halftime lead with 18 points and eight rebounds. Charlotte shot 58 per cent in the half, and never trailed after Jeffersons finger roll gave the Bobcats a 26-25 lead with 1:37 left in the first quarter. In the other meeting this season, the Lakers beat the Bobcats 88-85 at Charlotte with a game-ending 13-4 run and 21 points by Kobe Bryant -- one of only six games the NBAs fourth leading scorer has played in this season because of a torn Achilles tendon and a fracture in his left knee. Jefferson was held to 14 points that night. NOTES: The game ball was being sent to New York to mark the final day of NBA Commissioner David Sterns tenure. He is retiring Saturday on the 30th anniversary of his first day on the job. ... Stern saw the Lakers win eight league championships, make 12 trips to the finals and record eight 60-win seasons during his reign. ... Stern presented the Lakers with their championship rings on seven occasions. The only exception was in October 2001, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. ' ' '