DENVER -- Rockies rookie Tyler Anderson's competitive edge was on display, for better and for worse, as he navigated six strong innings in Saturday's 8-4 victory over the Braves.
Anderson, who endured a 47-minute rain delay before the third inning, held Atlanta to three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk. But the left-hander had to control his emotions to do so.
Anderson's emotions first flared up in the fourth inning when he balked while attempting to pick off Anthony Recker at first base. Anderson could be seen jawing at first-base umpire Mike Muchlinski and was calmed down after the inning by manager Walt Weiss and catcher Nick Hundley. Recker eventually scored after a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly.
"I think it was pretty clear to them that I was almost out of control," Anderson said. "Not quite, but getting close, with my emotions. They just wanted to make sure I was taking those deep breaths and getting back to it because there was a lot of ballgame left."
Anderson's competitive edge again came out toward the end of his night, when Weiss questioned whether to let him pitch the sixth. Anderson had thrown 76 pitches through five innings, but had to stay loose during the delay by throwing in the batting cages and using an arm bike to keep blood flowing.
Anderson missed last season because of a stress fracture he suffered near his pitching elbow late in 2014 at Double-A Tulsa.
"They were looking out for me just because, obviously, injury history and a rain delay," he said. "They just wanted to make sure I was OK and feeling good. So I just let them know, 'Yeah, I'm good, I'm ready to go back out if you let me go back out.'"
Anderson rewarded Weiss with a 1-2-3 sixth inning on 15 pitches.

"He's very competitive," Weiss said. "He's very strong-willed, but that's a good thing. That's why he is who he is, and that's why he's hit the ground running at the Major League level."
That competitiveness is part of the reason Anderson has found so much success in the Majors. He has held opponents to three runs or less in all but one of seven starts and has gone at least six innings in all but two starts -- both of which went 5 2/3 innings.
"It could have been a lot better," Anderson said. "A couple of those runs I should have been able to strand guys better. We won, and that's all that matters."