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Atkins helps Rockies pound Reds to complete sweep

Jul 27, 2008 - 9:21 PM By Doug Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Garrett Atkins kept the Colorado Rockies rolling since the All-Star break.

Atkins homered and drove in three runs Sunday, helping the Colorado Rockies finish off a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with an 11-0 victory.

The Rockies have won nine of 10 games since the break, aided by eight straight contests with 11 or more hits, as they collected 14 hits Sunday.

"They beat the (heck) out of us," Reds manager Dusty Baker said of the Rockies' sweep of his team. "I'm tired and I didn't even play."

The recent string of success has brought back some memories of the 2007 Rockies that stormed from behind, winning 21 of 22 games late in the second half of the season en route to reaching the World Series. But that's talk that Colorado manager Clint Hurdle is not ready to hear just yet.

"Right now, we are just focusing on playing well," Hurdle said. "We are not trying to re-create anything. We are trying to play a good consistent game with the people that we have here, and we are doing that day to day."

Hurdle's shortstop Troy Tulowitzki took a more aggressive stance on the team's chances.

"Not too much has changed in this locker room (from last year)," Tulowitzki said. "We have a bunch of confident guys, and I definitely believe that we can do what we did last year."

Colorado got on the board in the third inning when Atkins hit a sacrifice fly. After Ian Stewart walked, Tulowitzki drove in two runs with a single to left field.

The Rockies extended their lead to 7-0 in the next inning as Atkins and Jeff Baker delivered two-run homers in a four-run fourth.

The latest victim of Colorado's offense was former Rockies righthander Josh Fogg (2-3), who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and eight hits along with three walks.

Cincinnati's bullpen did not slow down the Rockies' offense much either, as Chris Iannetta homered in the fifth and Clint Barmes had a two-run single as part of a three-run eighth.

Colorado's offense has not been the only facet of the its game that has been clicking lately, as the team's pitching staff lowered its ERA to 1.40 over the last five games with six shutout innings Sunday from righthander Ubaldo Jimenez and scoreless innings of relief from Justin Speier, Luis Vizcaino and Kip Wells.

"I was not as sharp (as I have been recently)," Jimenez said. "My fastball was the only thing that was not as good as my other games. My breaking balls were really good. I threw my slider for a strike, which helped me a lot because they were looking for fastballs on the first pitch."

Jimenez (7-9) followed up his first career complete game by striking out two and scattering five hits to improve to 5-1 with a 1.75 ERA in July.

"I have to say thank you to July," Jimenez joked.