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Loney propels Dodgers to eighth straight win

May 4, 2008 - 5:06 AM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) - The Los Angeles Dodgers spotted Esteban Loaiza six early runs, and he promptly let that cushion deflate. So James Loney took matters into his own hands.

Loney hit a three-run homer to break open a tie game and finished with six RBI as the Dodgers soared past the Colorado Rockies, 12-7, on Saturday at Coors Field.

Los Angeles has won a major league-best eight consecutive games and scored 92 runs since April 21, also tops in the league. The winning streak is the team's longest since an 11-game run from July 28-August 8, 2006.

"Winning is fun," Loney said. "It brings a sense that everybody belongs, no matter if you are doing good, no matter if you are struggling. We all (have) confidence that if you get that opportunity, you can do it."

Forty-five of those 92 runs have come in five games against the Rockies, a club that has dropped 11 of its last 13 contests and is eight games under .500 (11-19) for the first time since May 22, 2007.

"It's not fun losing," Colorado outfielder Brad Hawpe said. "We are a quality team and have a lot of good players. To go out there and lose and have the stretches that we've had lately is upsetting."

The Dodgers opened the game with singles by Rafael Furcal, Juan Pierre and Matt Kemp. Lefthander Jorge De La Rosa (0-1), making his first appearance for the Rockies, walked in a run and then surrendered a three-run double by Loney to fall into a 4-0 hole after one-half inning.

In the top of the second, De La Rosa loaded the bases with none out for a second time, and Kemp and Jeff Kent each drove in a run to extend the early lead to 6-0.

After the Rockies fell into that early deficit, they started to climb back into the game in the bottom of the second.

Todd Helton led off with a double - his 800th career extra-base hit - and scored on a one-out single by Brad Hawpe. Jeff Baker hit an RBI double and De La Rosa helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly.

Colorado tied the game with three more runs in the third, including a leadoff homer by Matt Holliday. Loaiza was pulled after Garrett Atkins followed with a double, and reliever Hong-Chih Kuo gave up a game-tying, first-pitch homer to Hawpe.

"It's never easy in this ballpark," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "You never have enough runs here."

Loney, for one, wasn't nervous.

"When we get a big lead like that, I think our pitchers are going out there trying to attack the hitter," Loney said. "Sometimes they hit them hard. If it happens that they do catch up, we have the confidence that we can come back."

But Loney chased De La Rosa and dashed the Rockies' hopes of a much-needed victory with his three-run blast in the fifth. Loney was robbed of another certain extra-base hit and RBI by Willy Taveras' diving grab in center field in the sixth inning.

For the Dodgers, Pierre recorded three hits and Furcal added two more and scored three runs. Pierre also robbed Helton of a three-run homer in the ninth with an over-the-wall grab in left field.

"He brings another dimension to this ball club," said Torre of Pierre, who recorded his third straight multi-hit game. "Juan, the way he's been swinging the bat and playing, he's really made a difference."

Kuo (1-1), who settled down after giving up the home run to Hawpe, picked up the win, striking out five in 3 2/3 innings.

Hawpe had the hot bat for the Rockies with three hits, four RBI and two runs scored.