Holliday Drives in Pair to Help Beat Dodgers

Associated Press

10:34 PM EDT, July 23, 2008

DENVER -- Matt Holliday drove in two runs, including one on a double that bounced off the pitcher's glove, and Jeff Baker scored twice to lift the Colorado Rockies to a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

Brad Hawpe, Ian Stewart and Garrett Atkins also drove in a run apiece for the defending NL champions, who closed out a seven-game homestand with a 6-1 mark. With 11 more hits Wednesday, the Rockies had 49 in taking two of three against the Dodgers.

Glendon Rusch (3-1) earned his third straight victory, his longest streak since winning four in a row in September 2005 while a member of the Chicago Cubs.

Rusch gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings before being lifted. It's the first time he's defeated the Dodgers in six career starts.

The Dodgers had runners on second and third with one out in the eighth, before Taylor Buchholz wiggled out of the jam by striking out Andruw Jones and Andy LaRoche.

Brian Fuentes pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 17th save in 21 chances. He got the first two batters in the inning to set a franchise-record by retiring 23 straight. After giving up a single to Matt Kemp, he struck out Andre Ethier to end the game.

The save was also the 102nd of his career, tying him with Jose Jimenez for the team's all-time lead.

Stewart went 2-for-3 on Wednesday, bringing his average to .550 since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs last Saturday.

Baker had two hits, including a triple, while Hawpe added a double and a single. He's now hitting .436 against Los Angeles this season.

Nomar Garciaparra had a 35th birthday he would just as soon forget, finishing hitless in four at-bats. He hit into two double plays and struck out.

Jones had an RBI double while LaRoche and Danny Ardoin both had run-scoring singles for the Dodgers.

Hiroki Kuroda (5-7) was hit hard early but settled into a groove, lasting six innings and giving up five runs. He allowed just one of his nine hits over his last three innings of work.

The Rockies went on an extra-base hit barrage to begin the third as Baker led off with a triple and Holliday and Hawpe each followed with RBI doubles.

Holliday's shot up the middle smashed off Kuroda's glove and skipped into the hole between short and third. Garciaparra, who had to scramble back to pick it up, couldn't throw out a hustling Holliday at second. Stewart later drove in Hawpe with a single to put Colorado up, 5-2.

Colorado figured out Kuroda in the first, scoring twice on four hits. Holliday had an RBI single in the frame, while Atkins brought in another on a fielder's choice. Notes: Dodgers C Russell Martin came in as a pinch hitter in the seventh, grounding out to short. He remained in the game. ... Dodgers manager Joe Torre said OF Juan Pierre could be back by this weekend. Pierre has been on the disabled list since June 30 with a left knee injury. ... Rockies manager Clint Hurdle has INF Clint Barmes taking fly balls in the outfield. "I think there's going to be more opportunity out there for him than a lot of people think," Hurdle said. Barmes has started at short, second and third this season.