Final
Iannetta, Helton homer; Rockies end Tigers' streak
May 24, 2009 - 2:50 AM DETROIT(AP) -- The Colorado Rockies had several chances to lose Saturday night's game.That only made it more enjoyable for Clint Hurdle when they didn't.
"That was definitely a gutty win," the Rockies manager said after his team ended the Detroit Tigers' seven-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory. "We had to deal with a lot of adversity in this one."
Hurdle was especially happy that a flukey play in the sixth didn't cost his team more than an insurance run.
With the Rockies having just taken a 4-3 lead on Todd Helton's homer, Garrett Atkins hit what appeared to be a two-out RBI single to center. As Chris Iannetta rounded third, Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson misplayed the ball in an attempt to get off a rushed throw to the plate.
Iannetta, however, strained his right hamstring and could only limp back to third as Granderson retrieved the ball.
"That's one of the craziest plays I've ever seen," Hurdle said. "The kid hits a routine RBI single and we've got a runner already around third with the ball laying five feet behind the center fielder, and we don't get the run."
Fortunately, four runs were enough for Jason Marquis and the Colorado bullpen.
Marquis (6-3) allowed three runs on six hits and a walk in 7 2-3 innings to win his second straight start.
"I had to battle through some things early, but I felt like I cruising from about the fourth inning on," Marquis said. "I had my good fastball tonight and I was able to keep it down in the zone."
Marquis threw 103 pitches before coming out of the game.
"He didn't give us much of a chance tonight," Brandon Inge said. "That was the key tonight - he just shut us down."
Randy Flores got the final out of the eighth and Huston Street put two runners on base in the ninth before finishing for his sixth save in six tries and the 100th of his career.
"I could have kept going, but it was a great night to get Flores some work, and I'm proud to be part of Huston's 100th save," Marquis said. "That's a big milestone, but he's going to get a lot more."
Slumping Armando Galarraga (3-4) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 5 1-3 innings. Galarraga is now 0-4 in five May starts with a 9.92 ERA after going 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA in four April outings.
"He certainly wasn't terrible, but his stuff isn't crisp right now," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He gave us a chance to win, but he's not sharp."
Dexter Fowler hit Galarraga's third pitch of the game for a triple, then narrowly beat Clete Thomas' throw to score on Troy Tulowitzki's fly to right. On Friday, Thomas threw out Fowler at the plate during Detroit's 4-3 win.
"That kid has a great arm," Hurdle said. "When our third base coach sends someone, I expect them to be safe, but he made that a bang-bang play."
Iannetta's eighth homer made it 2-0 in the top of the second, but the Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Miguel Cabrera's ninth home run.
In the third, Fowler pushed the lead to 3-1 with his second run of the game. He singled with one out, took third on Tulowitzki's single and scored on Helton's groundout.
The Tigers tied it with a pair of runs in the fifth. With one out and runners on first and second, Jim Leyland called for a hit-and-run, and although Laird swung and missed, Iannetta threw wildly to third, allowing Magglio Ordonez to score. Laird then blooped a single to center to make it 3-all.
Helton, though, led off the next inning with his sixth homer. He has 29 RBIs, the same total that he managed in an injury-plagued 2008 season.
"He's in a good place right now," Hurdle said. "I think that once he wrapped his mind around what he was going to have to do to get back to his level, he was going to do it. It was just a matter of determination."
Notes: Iannetta is day to day after the baserunning injury. "Obviously, a hamstring injury is going to problematic for a catcher," Hurdle said. ... Ordonez played for the first time since Sunday, having missed four games while his wife underwent surgery.
- ML
FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
COLORADO 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 7 1
DETROIT 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: COL - JASON MARQUIS, RANDY FLORES (8TH), HUSTON STREET (9TH) AND
CHRIS IANNETTA, YORVIT TORREALBA (6TH)
DET - ARMANDO GALARRAGA, NATE ROBERTSON (6TH), BRANDON
LYON
May 23 9:40 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY TODD HELTON (6) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE
6TH OFF ARMANDO GALARRAGA.
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 4, DETROIT 3
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: B HAWPE (.331, 0-FOR-2)
Rockies 4, Tigers 3 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 23 8:24 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY GERALD LAIRD SCORED RYAN RABURN.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, G LAIRD ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 3
DETROIT 3 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: A EVERETT (.308, 0-FOR-1)
Rockies 3, Tigers 3 Bot 5, 0 OutsMay 23 8:22 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
ERROR BY CHRIS IANNETTA ALLOWED MAGGLIO ORDONEZ TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R RABURN ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 3
DETROIT 2 BOTTOM, 5TH
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: G LAIRD (.234, 1-FOR-1)
Rockies 3, Tigers 2 Bot 5, 0 OutsMay 23 8:21 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY TODD HELTON SCORED DEXTER FOWLER.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, T TULOWITZKI ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 3
DETROIT 1 TOP, 3RD
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: B HAWPE (.333, 0-FOR-1)
Rockies 3, Tigers 1 Top 3, 0 OutsMay 23 7:38 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY MIGUEL CABRERA (9) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 2ND OFF JASON MARQUIS.
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 2, DETROIT 1
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M ORDONEZ (.256, 2 HR, 17 RBI)
Rockies 2, Tigers 1 Bot 2, 0 OutsMay 23 7:24 PM - ML
AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CHRIS IANNETTA (8) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 2ND OFF ARMANDO GALARRAGA.
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 2, DETROIT 0
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: S SMITH (.276, 4 HR, 10 RBI)
Rockies 2, Tigers 0 Top 2, 0 OutsMay 23 7:19 PM - ML
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
COLORADO 1 1 1 0
DETROIT 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: COL - JASON MARQUIS
DET - ARMANDO GALARRAGA
DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C GRANDERSON (.252, 11 HR, 26 RBI)
P POLANCO (.271, 0 HR, 17 RBI)
C THOMAS (.286, 1
Rockies 1, Tigers 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 23 7:11 PM
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