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The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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DENVER (Ticker) -- Jeff Baker and Matt Holliday hit back-to-back
home runs and finished with three hits and two RBI apiece to
lead the Colorado Rockies to an 11-3 triumph over the Pittsburgh
Pirates on Sunday.
Baker and Holliday were just two of a number of hot bats for the
Rockies, who completed a four-game sweep to start the second
half of the season. The heavy hitting prompted manager Clint
Hurdle to make an easy summation.
"You get eight doubles, a triple and two homers and you better
win the game," he said.
Clint Barmes had three hits and Ian Stewart doubled twice and
drove in three runs to back All-Star Aaron Cook as the Rockies
handed the Pirates their fifth straight loss.
Cook (12-6) faltered at the start, but recovered to pitch seven
innings while allowing three runs and five hits.
"I just tried to slow it down a little bit. I was rushing,
getting balls up in the zone and they were putting good swings
on pitches," Cook said. "I was just up in the zone. I knew if I
kept doing that all day it was going to be a real short outing
for me."
Colorado erupted in the fifth inning as Barmes led off with a
triple and scored after Ian Stewart smacked an RBI double to
spark a four-run frame.
"Guys are swinging the bat well all throughout the order,"
Stewart said. "Things are going our way now, try to keep it
going."
Baker put the Rockies ahead with his two-run homer and Holliday
followed with a solo shot.
With the bullpen depleted, Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke remained
in the game only to take more punishment in the sixth. The
lefthander gave up three straight hits, including a two-run
double by Stewart, before getting pulled with the Pirates
trailing, 8-3.
Duke (4-7), who hasn't won on the road in 10 starts this season,
retired Colorado's first 10 batters before getting tagged for
nine runs after five shoddy innings.
"It's not like he threw real bad," Barmes said of Duke. "He
mixed us up well, pitching in and out mixing up some speed, guys
were putting some good at-bats on him."
Willy Taveras hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to extend the
lead, and Garrett Atkins connected on a two-run double in the
eighth to cap the scoring.
The Pirates jumped on Cook for three runs in the first inning,
highlighted by an RBI single by Nate McLouth. Adam LaRoche
drove home Xavier Nady to give Pittsburgh a quick 3-0 lead.
Baker picked up the Rockies' first hit and scored on Holliday's
double to the wall in right-center field. Chris Iannetta
doubled home Holliday to cut the deficit to 3-2.
"We missed a lot of good pitches to hit," Adam LaRoche said.
"We hit some balls hard right at people, and we swung at good
pitches in hitter's counts."
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