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De La Rosa pitches Rockies past Giants

Sep 1, 2008 - 11:24 PM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Jorge De La Rosa offered a simple but apt one-word answer to explain the secret of his success. When asked what was working for him on the mound, the lefthander kept it short.

"Everything," he said after tossing seven sterling innings as the Colorado Rockies recorded a 4-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

De La Rosa (8-7) surrendered four hits and one walk while striking out six to pick up the win. The lefthander is 2-1 with a 0.71 ERA over his last four outings for Colorado, which snapped a two-game losing skid in the midst of climbing closer to the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I had pretty good command of my fastball, and I used my sinker a lot," De La Rosa said. "I liked today. I was feeling very good."

San Francisco, meanwhile, has dropped six of its past seven games. With help from two double plays, De La Rosa did not allow a Giants runner past first base.

"(De La Rosa) has continued to take steps forward across the board. He's got some momentum going for him, some confidence working for him," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He spent a lot of time in the strike zone and was able to stay ahead of hitters."

The Rockies, who recorded only four hits in the game, scored in the second inning after Ryan Spilborghs reached base on a fielder's choice.

Troy Tulowitzki followed with a one-hop triple to the fence in right field, plating Spilborghs and setting up De La Rosa's RBI single.

"I got a fastball in the middle of the plate and put a good swing on it," Tulowitzki said. "It was a key hit. There weren't too many runs, so it was nice to get on the board early."

In the third, Wily Taveras, who finished with three stolen bases, drew a walk and stole second before moving to third on a groundout by Matt Holliday. Garrett Atkins then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, increasing the Rockies' advantage to 3-0 against Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez.

"Be able to steal bases, that's what I can do. In a close game like this, it helps a great deal," Taveras said.

Sanchez (8-10), who was activated from the disabled list before the game, yielded three runs and three hits over seven solid frames.

"(Sanchez) had some of his best stuff today. I thought he pitched well," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Offensively we are struggling. We're not getting that big hit to keep the line moving and get the rally going."