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Rockies hold on to top Pirates

Jul 17, 2007 - 4:10 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The Colorado Rockies had just enough.

In a game in which the teams used a combined 12 pitchers, Colorado out-slugged the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-8, on Monday and kept the Pirates winless in four games since the All-Star break.

Four players drove in at least two runs for Colorado, which won for just the third time in its past 14 on the road.

The Rockies were coming off two consecutive losses in which they scored just four runs combined, but they put up five in the first frame off Pirates starter John Van Benschoten. Colorado tacked on one in the second and three more in the third to open up a 9-1 lead.

"When you're playing against a major league team, they are not going to lay down," Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras said. "They just want to come back and make something happen. When you have an eight-run lead and they come back and almost tie the game ..."

Van Benschoten (0-4) was charged with all nine of those runs in his two-plus innings, giving up six hits, two walks and hitting two batters.

It was the second consecutive start where he failed to make it out of the third inning. On July 7 against the Chicago Cubs he lasted 2 2/3, giving up five runs. He is winless in six starts since joining the rotation June 16.

"I think they picked up on what I was doing," Van Benschoten said. "It seemed like they were taking some pretty healthy hacks at whatever I was throwing up there."

The Pirates chipped away at that Rockies' lead, plating three in the third on five singles and then scoring two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings.

"If you look at this game, it's a tough loss to take, but at the same time, you take the positives out of it and the fact that we swung the bats (well)," Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson said. "Obviously we were pretty cold in Atlanta (scoring six runs in three games) and to be able to come out here and bang out some hits, down 9-1, that's a good sign for us."

Both runs in the Pirates' fourth came via sacrifice flies from Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady. The Rockies also had three sacrifice flies of their own in the game - two by Matt Holliday - making the game's combined total five, which tied a major league record.

The last time two teams in the National League combined for five sacrifice flies in a game was June 7, 2006, in Colorado in a matchup between these same teams.

Pittsburgh relievers Tony Armas, Masumi Kuwata, Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres and Matt Capps kept the Pirates close, tossing seven combined innings while allowing an unearned run and just two hits.

"Our bullpen did a terrific job tonight," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said. "If there's any further damage as that game unfolds, you would have had no chance to even get back in the game."

In the end, the damage done against Van Benschoten was too much to overcome.

Van Benschoten struggled from the start, as he hit the Rockies' Willy Taveras with the first pitch of the game. Taveras then stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on Holliday's RBI double.

Taveras had one RBI, two runs and two stolen bases in the game, while Holliday drove in three.

Van Benschoten then walked Todd Helton and gave up an infield single to Garrett Atkins to load the bases. A walk to Brad Hawpe forced home Holliday and a two-run single by Troy Tulowitzki made it 4-0.

Yorvit Torrealba finished the scoring when his groundout plated Hawpe to give the Rockies a 5-0 cushion before the Pirates even came to bat.

"It was an unbelievable game tonight, a big win, especially considering we did score so many runs early and they were able to come back," Taveras said.

Rockies starter Taylor Buchholz didn't have his best stuff in his first start since June 1. He went four innings, surrendering six runs and nine hits while striking out five.

He had been working out of the bullpen but was inserted back into the rotation to fill the spot of Jason Hirsh, who is on the disabled list.

"I really felt rusty tonight, I could never get that rhythm that I've had coming out of the pen," Buchholz said. "But it's all about winning in the end and we did that tonight. It was closer than it should have been but it's always good to win."

Colorado reliever LaTroy Hawkins (1-4) got the win for Colorado, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Manny Corpas pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his second save of the season.

Ten different players had at least one hit for the Pirates, led by Ryan Doumit's two hits and two RBI.

"We almost coughed up an eight-run lead, but they weren't going to let it happen," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was a well-needed win for us."