• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

D'Backs target ninth win in a row vs. Rockies

Aug 31, 2011 - 3:02 PM (Sports Network) - Last night's victory gave the charging Diamondbacks their longest winning streak of the season. If Arizona can finish off a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies tonight, it will notch the best run of consecutive home victories in franchise history.

The Diamondbacks rolled to a 9-4 triumph on Tuesday, their eighth victory in a row overall and 11th straight at Chase Field. That matched the club's longest home winning streak in club history done twice before from May 5-27, 2000 and also June 7-July 9, 2003.

Arizona began this home burst with a victory on Aug. 9 and an 18-10 record this month has pushed the club a season-high six games ahead of San Francisco for first place in the National League West. That still doesn't have manager Kirk Gibson ready to take the check to the bank.

"We have to stay [in first]. Something tells me we'll be tested. ... Hopefully we'll be prepared for that," Gibson said.

Justin Upton and Miguel Montero both homered and drove in three runs in last night's victory, while Gerardo Parra had four hits, three runs scored and two RBI. That all helped Wade Miley to his second career victory after he scattered two runs and nine hits over six innings.

Miley's outing gave Arizona's starters a 0.83 earned run average over the club's current winning streak, allowing five earned runs in 54 innings.

Josh Collmenter is given the task of keeping that run going and he is coming off a scoreless outing of his own. The rookie last 5 1/3 frames to beat the Padres on Friday, working around six hits and striking out four without a walk.

Collmenter was staked to an early 4-0 lead and is 5-0 in starts when he does not issue a walk.

"Any time you can get a couple of runs before you go back out for the second inning, it's huge," said Collmenter, who is 8-8 with a 3.19 ERA on the season. "A lot of times just one run makes the difference. It helps your confidence."

The 25-year-old righty has split a pair of decisions over the Rockies this season and beat them in the last encounter on July 23, when he gave up three runs over seven innings of work.

Arizona won for the 13th time in its last 17 home games against the Rockies last night and has taken 10 of 14 from the club this season. That includes seven of the past eight encounters.

Though Colorado got a solo home run from Dexter Fowler and three hits apiece by Carlos Gonzalez, Todd Helton, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Chris Iannetta, the club lost for the fourth time in five games.

"This isn't the first time when we've had a night were we scored four runs but had 13 base hits. We had a lot of opportunities but we stranded a lot of runners," Colorado manager Jim Tracy said.

Aaron Cook was tagged for six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Taking the hill for the Rockies tonight is Esmil Rogers, who is winless over his past three outings, dropping two decisions while giving up four runs in each start.

The right-hander took a loss to the Dodgers on Friday, yielding seven hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in a 6-1 defeat. His night was defined when he balked with the bases loaded.

"The baserunner didn't bother me. I flinched a little bit. It won't happen again," Rogers said of the balk.

Regardless, the 26-year-old dipped to 6-3 on the year with a 5.93 ERA. He is set to face the Diamondbacks for the first time this season and has yet to post a decision in four previous encounters against them, including one start, with a 4.35 ERA.