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Rockies sweep Astros with win in 10th inning

Aug 25, 2011 - 12:49 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Troy Tulowitzki scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning thanks to an Aneury Rodriguez wild pitch to give the Colorado Rockies a 7-6 victory and a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros.

Rodriguez (1-5) fanned Carlos Gonzalez for the first out of the inning, but then ran into trouble. He walked Tulowitzki and pinch-hitter Jonathan Herrera stroked a single to put runners on the corners. The Astros then decided to walk Kevin Kouzmanoff to set up the force-play, but the plan backfired as Rodriguez uncorked the pitch that plated the winning run while facing Eliezer Alfonzo.

"You can't steer the ball once you hit it, but your approach needs to be correct to give yourself a good pass at the ball and give yourself and the ball club a chance," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "That's exactly what we did."

Tulowitzki and Gonzalez homered for the Rockies, winners of five straight games. Matt Belisle (9-4) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th to earn the win.

Gonzalez, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, has at least one RBI in nine consecutive contests. That's one off the team record, set by Vinny Castilla, April 14-25, 2004.

Clint Barmes cracked a home run, Brian Bogusevic collected three hits and Jimmy Paredes added a pair of RBI for the Astros, who have lost four consecutive games.

With the game tied at six, David Carpenter began the eighth inning for the Astros by hitting Eric Young Jr and after a sacrifice bunt, he intentionally walked Gonzalez before being removed in favor of Mark Melancon. Melancon fanned Tulowitzki, but then walked pinch-hitter Jason Giambi to load the bases with two outs. Kouzmanoff smoked a line drive, but it found the glove of Barmes at shortstop to end the inning.

Colorado had a prime opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the ninth when Mark Ellis smacked a one-out double and Todd Helton was intentionally walked to set up a double play possibility. Young chopped a ball to first and was tagged out, but both runners advanced. Dexter Fowler was unable to come through, however, as he grounded out to shortstop.

Houston opened the scoring in its first at-bat, plating a pair of runs. J.B. Shuck worked a one-out walk and came around to score on a double by Carlos Lee. Bogusevic then singled to place runners on the corners with two down. Paredes followed with an RBI single to right.

Colorado, though, got both runs back plus some in the home half of the inning. Young led off the frame with a single and came around to score on a triple by Fowler. Gonzalez ripped a run-scoring single, but the big blow of the inning came off the bat of Tulowitzki, who smashed a Wandy Rodriguez offering over the wall in left for a 4-2 advantage.

The resilient Astros knotted the game at four in the second on a leadoff home run by Barmes and a run-scoring single by Wandy Rodriguez.

Houston then took the lead the next inning on an RBI groundout by Paredes.

"They've done that for most of the year, putting ourselves in a situation to win these types of games, but getting that hit or making that play seems to kind of elude us," Astros manager Brad Mills said.

In the fourth, Colorado went back in front on a two-run bomb to dead center field by Gonzalez, but a sacrifice fly by Bougusevic in the fifth tied the game at six.

Game Notes

Prior to Wednesday's contest, the Astros placed pitcher Sergio Escalona on the 15-day disabled list and recalled pitcher Juan Abreu from Triple-A Oklahoma City...It was Barmes' ninth homer of the season...Gonzalez's home run was his 23rd of the season...Wandy Rodriguez, who was reportedly claimed off waivers by the Rockies on Tuesday, gave up six runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits over six innings...Rockies starter Aaron Cook yielded six runs -- five earned -- on 11 hits over five frames.