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Contreras leads Rockies past Diamondbacks, 4-1

Sep 6, 2009 - 2:50 AM DENVER(AP) -- Jose Contreras paid immediate dividends for the Colorado Rockies.

Acquired on Monday from the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Brandon Hynick, Contreras pitched 6 2-3 solid innings to lead the Rockies to a 4-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Seth Smith homered and scored three runs and Carlos Gonzalez also homered for Colorado, which maintained its one-game lead over the Giants in the NL wild-card race.

Franklin Morales pitched the ninth for his third save in four chances.

Brandon Allen homered for the Diamondbacks, who have lost four of their last five.

The Rockies traded for Contreras to fill in for the injured Aaron Cook, who is on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. He proved his value right away and earned his second win in the last two months.

Contreras (1-0), mixing his fastball with an effective sinker and slider, kept the Diamondbacks in check into the seventh. He worked out of a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth by striking out Allen on an 85-mph slider and getting Chad Tracy to ground into an inning-ending double play on a 92-mph fastball.

In the sixth he struck out Allen on a 77-mph curveball with Justin Upton on second to end the inning.

Contreras gave up one run on eight hits, struck out five and walked one in his first National League start.

The Rockies gave Contreras an early lead by jumping on Doug Davis (7-12) in the first inning. Gonzalez led off with a homer to dead center, his 10th of the year. Smith followed with a double, went to third when Upton misplayed the ball and scored on Todd Helton's groundout to first.

Brandon Allen cut the lead to 2-1 with a one-out homer in the second, his third of the season.

The Rockies got the run back in the fifth when Smith doubled with two outs and scored on Helton's single to right, just beating the throw home from Upton.

Davis gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out four in six innings.

Smith made it 4-1 when he led off the eighth with his 13th home run of the year.

NOTES: The Diamondbacks activated OF Eric Byrnes from the DL on Saturday. He pinch-hit for Gerardo Parra in the ninth and singled. ... Rockies LHP Jeff Francis threw a bullpen session Saturday. ... Rockies C Yorvit Torrealba extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games with a single in the second inning.