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Helton leads 13-hit attack as Rockies roll

Jun 11, 2008 - 5:04 AM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- The Colorado Rockies played small ball to take control before flexing their muscles.

Todd Helton collected three hits, including a three-run homer, as the Rockies cruised to a 10-5 triumph over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

Omar Quintanilla also had three hits and Garrett Atkins belted a two-run shot for Colorado, which has won five of its last six games. The triumph was its 600th all time at Coors Field (600-475).

"I think we know what we can do," Helton said. "It's a tough game, and sometimes it clicks and sometimes it doesn't. You just have to keep plugging away. We're playing well, and that's all that matters."

Aaron Cook (9-3) again proved he is the best bet on the mound for the Rockies, pitching into the eighth inning en route to his third straight win. The righthander yielded four runs - three earned - and nine hits in seven-plus frames in becoming just the sixth pitcher in franchise history to reach the nine-victory mark before the All-Star break.

"Guys came out swinging the bat really hot, and that always makes it a lot easier to go back out there when you have a couple of runs of support," said Cook, a groundball pitcher. "I wasn't able to get the ball on the ground as much. I felt pretty good with my sinker, but they were able to get some balls in the air. The main thing is, we came out with a win."

Pinch hitter Brian Horwitz homered and Jose Castillo went 3-for-5 and scored twice for San Francisco, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Starting small, Atkins and Brad Hawpe opened the second inning with singles and Chris Iannetta was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Quintanilla and Cook followed with RBI base hits before Willy Taveras and Jeff Baker lofted sacrifice flies, giving the Rockies a 4-0 bulge.

After the Giants got back a run in the fifth, Helton blew open the game in the bottom of the inning, lining a pitch from reliever Vinnie Chulk just over the left field wall with two on for his seventh blast of the campaign and a 7-1 cushion.

Each team picked up a run in the sixth before Atkins swatted his ninth homer of the year in the seventh to cap the scoring for Colorado.

"There was some good situational hitting tonight. It's fun to have a game like that," said Atkins, who made a number of diving stops on defense at third base. "We have some unselfish guys on this team. Sac flies, moving runners over - that's what it takes to win ballgames."

San Francisco attempted to mount a comeback as John Bowker hit an RBI triple and scored in the eighth before Horwitz homered off Luis Vizcaino in the ninth. Emmanuel Burriss followed with a double, but Vizcaino retired the next three batters to seal the win.

"We can do a lot more of those. I'm good with those," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said of the relatively suspense-free game. "We got some separation early, and when they did score, we were able to answer back."

Pat Misch (0-3) lasted just four innings for the Giants, surrendering four runs and seven hits. The lefthander struck out three without a walk but also hit a batter.

"(Misch) got through the first inning, and that's been a critical inning for him," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "But that big second inning killed us. ... The pitching just wasn't there tonight. The bullpen got roughed up, too."