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Baker, Holliday help Rockies complete sweep of Pirates

Jul 20, 2008 - 11:53 PM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Jeff Baker and Matt Holliday hit back-to-back home runs and finished with three hits and two RBI apiece to lead the Colorado Rockies to an 11-3 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Baker and Holliday were just two of a number of hot bats for the Rockies, who completed a four-game sweep to start the second half of the season. The heavy hitting prompted manager Clint Hurdle to make an easy summation.

"You get eight doubles, a triple and two homers and you better win the game," he said.

Clint Barmes had three hits and Ian Stewart doubled twice and drove in three runs to back All-Star Aaron Cook as the Rockies handed the Pirates their fifth straight loss.

Cook (12-6) faltered at the start, but recovered to pitch seven innings while allowing three runs and five hits.

"I just tried to slow it down a little bit. I was rushing, getting balls up in the zone and they were putting good swings on pitches," Cook said. "I was just up in the zone. I knew if I kept doing that all day it was going to be a real short outing for me."

Colorado erupted in the fifth inning as Barmes led off with a triple and scored after Ian Stewart smacked an RBI double to spark a four-run frame.

"Guys are swinging the bat well all throughout the order," Stewart said. "Things are going our way now, try to keep it going."

Baker put the Rockies ahead with his two-run homer and Holliday followed with a solo shot.

With the bullpen depleted, Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke remained in the game only to take more punishment in the sixth. The lefthander gave up three straight hits, including a two-run double by Stewart, before getting pulled with the Pirates trailing, 8-3.

Duke (4-7), who hasn't won on the road in 10 starts this season, retired Colorado's first 10 batters before getting tagged for nine runs after five shoddy innings.

"It's not like he threw real bad," Barmes said of Duke. "He mixed us up well, pitching in and out mixing up some speed, guys were putting some good at-bats on him."

Willy Taveras hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to extend the lead, and Garrett Atkins connected on a two-run double in the eighth to cap the scoring.

The Pirates jumped on Cook for three runs in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI single by Nate McLouth. Adam LaRoche drove home Xavier Nady to give Pittsburgh a quick 3-0 lead.

Baker picked up the Rockies' first hit and scored on Holliday's double to the wall in right-center field. Chris Iannetta doubled home Holliday to cut the deficit to 3-2.

"We missed a lot of good pitches to hit," Adam LaRoche said. "We hit some balls hard right at people, and we swung at good pitches in hitter's counts."