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Holliday, Rockies hold off Brewers

Jul 8, 2008 - 4:40 AM By J.R. Radcliffe PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- After being rewarded the biggest prize on the trade market, the Milwaukee Brewers could not add some icing to their cake.

Ubaldo Jimenez worked around his wildness to quiet the Brewers' bats over seven scoreless innings, and Matt Holliday's home run loomed large to lift the Colorado Rockies to a 4-3 win over the Brewers on Monday.

The Brewers, who send newly acquired ace pitcher CC Sabathia to the mound Tuesday, battled back with three runs in the eighth before succumbing for just their second home loss in 11 games.

Milwaukee starter Seth McClung walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings, though he permitted just two runs on three hits with five strikeouts. He exited in the fifth after issuing his third walk - one batter after Holliday's RBI single gave his team a 3-0 lead.

"It seems like baseball kind of took it away from us today," said McClung. "That's the way the game works sometimes. I felt like I had my best stuff of the year, spotting up pretty good, and (the umpires) don't see it the same way I do."

The Rockies spread their offense evenly over the middle innings, tallying once in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. Garrett Atkins delivered a sacrifice fly to start the scoring, although McClung danced out of trouble by allowing nothing else after loading the bases with nobody out.

"When you have opportunities (to score) you'd like to cash in, but you don't always cash in," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "That has been one of the areas that has caused us some problems this year. But we had four straight innings with a run and went into the (eighth) inning with a four-run lead."

Jeff Baker singled and scored from second when third baseman Russell Branyan misplayed Jimenez's bouncer in the sixth, and Holliday homered leading off the seventh against reliever Carlos Villanueva.

"I think he's in as good a place as we've seen him in a long time," Hurdle said of Holliday. "He's getting such better reads. He's working good counts, seeing the ball so much better and using the whole field. It is fun watching him hit right now, he's a very confident hitter."

The Brewers loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth against reliever Taylor Buchholz, but Ryan Braun hit a rocket that bounced off the pitcher's mound into the glove of shortstop Clint Barmes, who turned it into a run-scoring double play. That loomed large when Prince Fielder homered one batter later, pulling Milwaukee within a run.

"That's fluky," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "It's going to go right through, and there's nothing you can do about it. Brauny smoked it. He hit the ball as hard as he could on the ground."

The rally was triggered by some bad Colorado defense, with all three runs were unearned. Joe Koshansky bobbled Gabe Kapler's popped bunt to first base, which spun to a stop in front of the first baseman, and Craig Counsell's pop-up on the infield fell between three Rockies to put two runners on with nobody out.

Jimenez allowed no runs on three hits with seven strikeouts, and kept Milwaukee off the scoreboard despite issuing four of his five walks in the first two innings.

"It's not only about me, it was a team win," Jimenez said. "We lost yesterday, and we're starting (a seven-game road trip) with a good thing tonight."

Jimenez also picked runners off first in consecutive innings - the third and fourth - to help his cause.

"He has a little balk move, one of those things that kind of buckles (your knees) and kind of catches you off guard," outfielder Corey Hart said. "But that's quick feet. So if you're leaning at all, that's pretty effective. It's one of those moves that could be (a balk), but you don't call it."

Brian Fuentes mowed down the Brewers in the ninth for his 14th save.