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The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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DENVER (Ticker) -- Seth Smith figured he had an easy double, and
he started to think triple as the ball rolled across the
outfield. When Smith crossed home plate for an inside-the-park
home run, he was half surprised he made it the full 360 feet.
Making things easier, Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe added home
runs the natural way - out of the park - as the Colorado Rockies
defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2, on Friday night.
Pinch hitting to open the seventh inning, Smith raked a line
drive to right-center field that caromed off the bottom of the
wall and rolled all the way to left-center with center fielder
Nate McLouth in chase.
"I felt really slow," Smith said. "I rounded second and saw
(third-base coach Mike Gallego) was waving me pretty
emphatically. So when I got to third, I was just hoping I
wouldn't trip over the bag."
Smith crossed home standing up for the seventh inside-the-park
home run in Coors Field history and first given up by the
Pirates since October 2001.
"He was chugging pretty good," Hawpe said of Smith.
Holliday and Hawpe each have 15 home runs. Willy Taveras stole
two bases for the Rockies to improve his major league-leading
total to 41.
Veteran Glendon Rusch (3-3) allowed two runs and six hits over 5
2/3 innings.
"We won, and that's all that is important this time of the
season," Rusch said.
Relievers Jason Grilli and Manny Corpas bridged the gap to Brian
Fuentes, who collected his 16th save of the season and 101st of
his career despite talks of a looming trade.
"I don't understand why we keep fanning this fire," Rockies
manager Clint Hurdle said. "We're not putting anybody out on a
clothesline and saying, 'Come look at our laundry.'"
Despite a lethargic 41-57 record, the Rockies are only eight
games out of first place in the National League West. The
Pirates (44-52) have a better win-loss mark but are sitting
alone in the cellar of the NL East, 13 games behind the leading
Cubs (57-39).
"I don't understand why their record is the way it is," Pirates
starter Ian Snell said of the Rockies. "They are a good hitting
team and they play good baseball."
Jose Bautista hit a solo home run and Ryan Doumit finished with
two hits and a double for the Pirates, who posted their fourth
loss in five games.
Taveras led off the first with a triple and Holliday then
delivered a two-run homer.
Taveras increased the lead in the second after drawing a two-out
walk from righthander Snell (3-8). Taveras stole second and
scored after catcher Doumit's throwing error trying to catch
Taveras stealing third.
"I thought (Taveras' speed) showed up significantly in that
inning," Hurdle said. "That's a throwback-Joe Morgan run right
there."
Bautista put Pittsburgh on the board in the third with a solo
homer to left field, his 11th. The Pirates inched closer in the
sixth after Jason Bay drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to
deep right, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Hawpe responded for the Rockies with solo shot to lead off the
sixth. His trot around the bases was starkly different than
Smith's sprint in the seventh.
"It's unfortunate that three of their hits were home runs,"
Pittsburgh manager John Russell said. "Offensively we're not
doing it. We're not taking advantage of the opportunities we're
given and having too many quick innings."
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