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Colorado at Milwaukee

Scoreboard
Colorado «2002220019120
Milwaukee020001401882
Rockies 9, Brewers 8
 

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MILWAUKEE -- Todd Helton keeps making sure Milwaukee's grand slams don't mean all that much.

Helton drove in four runs with a triple and a home run in Colorado's 9-8 victory Saturday night over the Brewers, who got back into the game with a grand slam from Geoff Jenkins in the seventh inning.

Helton had two hits and scored twice in Colorado's 8-6 comeback win the night before, when the Rockies negated John Vander Wal's grand slam.

"I don't think I've ever been with a team where the other team hits grand slams in the first two games and we win both games," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said.

The Rockies got six solid innings from Darren Oliver (6-5), who allowed three runs on five hits for his second straight win on the road after beginning 0-5 in his first eight starts away from Coors Field.

Oliver, who hadn't won three straight decisions in more than two years, entrusted his bullpen with an 8-3 lead, but Jenkins took Nelson Cruz deep for his second career grand slam in the seventh to make it 8-7.

Colorado's Jay Payton homered in the ninth off Shane Nance for a valuable insurance run because Eric Young's solo shot off Brian Fuentes in the bottom half cut it to 9-8.

But Fuentes struck out three in the inning, including Jenkins to end it, for his second save.

"We kept adding on," Helton said. "That was the big thing. Payton's home run obviously was the big hit."

And for the second straight night, the Brewers couldn't celebrate a bases-loaded home run for very long.

"Grand slams are nice, but we've been playing catch-up for most of the game," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "That gets us back in it, but we've got to nail it down. We can't be giving up any more runs.

"We've got to just find a way to keep the ball in the park. The home runs are killing us right now."

Charles Johnson also homered for the Rockies, who have gone deep five times in the first two games of the series at Miller Park, where 138 home runs have been hit, tops in the major leagues.

Oliver recovered from a shaky second inning in which he walked light-hitting catcher Keith Osik and starting pitcher Matt Ford with the bases full. That tied the game at 2, erasing the lead Helton gave him with a two-run triple in the first inning.

Johnson's two-run homer off Ford (0-1) came in the fourth. His 11th homer made it 4-2. Payton added a two-run single in the fifth and Helton hit a two-run shot off John Foster in the sixth for his 15th home run and an 8-2 lead.

Wes Helms' 14th homer in the bottom of the inning made it 8-3.

In the seventh, Javier Lopez gave up a single and two walks, bringing on Cruz, who allowed Jenkins' 20th homer before getting Richie Sexson and Brady Clark looking at strike three.

Helton, needing a double for the cycle, struck out against Nance in the eighth. Helms, needing a triple for the cycle, struck out against Justin Speier in the bottom of the inning.

Ford, a rookie making his second career start in the major leagues, allowed six runs - five earned - on eight hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. His worst pitch was the one Johnson hit 420 feet.

"I made a horrible pitch," he said. "It was right down the middle. I was trying to throw a slider low and away. At this level, if you make a pitch like that, you're going to pay for it."

Notes: Rockies RF Larry Walker went 1-for-5 and is one hit shy of tying Dante Bichette's club record of 1,278. ... Jenkins also hit a grand slam May 31, 2002, at San Diego. ... Jenkins actually went 4-for-5 Friday night following an official scoring change of a play that originally was ruled an error on first baseman Helton. Jenkins was credited with an RBI and starter Aaron Cook was charged with a fifth earned run. ... Yost has a theory about all the home runs that have been hit at Miller Park: it's one of 13 ballparks that is using the Questec umpire rating system, which has shrunk the strike zone, Yost said. "You're basically narrowing that pitcher down to have to throw the ball right down the middle of the plate to get that ball called a strike," he said. "And in major league baseball, if you do that, you're going to get killed." ... Young extended his hitting streak to 14 games, a season high for Brewers hitters.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2003, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
 
 
 
Ron Belliard, 2B4210111 .314
Chris Stynes, 3B3100212 .275
Todd Helton, 1B5134011 .338
Preston Wilson, CF5120012 .301
Larry Walker, RF5110023 .300
Jay Payton, LF5123001 .304
Mark Bellhorn, SS4110011 .218
    Justin Speier, P0000000 .000
   a- Greg Norton, PH1000010 .264
    Brian Fuentes, P0000000 .000
Charles Johnson, C4112012 .237
Darren Oliver, P3010001 .200
    Javier Lopez, P0000000 .500
    Nelson Cruz, P0000000 .154
   b- Greg Vaughn, PH1000010 .206
    Juan Uribe, SS0000000 .256
Totals40912931014 
a-struck out for Speier in the 9th
b-struck out for Cruz in the 8th
Batting
2B - Jay Payton (13, Ford), Mark Bellhorn (9, Ford)
3B - Todd Helton (3, Ford)
HR - Todd Helton (15, Foster), Jay Payton (13, Nance), Charles Johnson (11, Ford)
RBI - Todd Helton 4 (68), Jay Payton 3 (43), Charles Johnson 2 (40)
2-OUT RBI - Todd Helton 2 (14), Jay Payton (21)
Team LOB - 7
Fielding
DP - Bellhorn-Belliard-Helton
Darren Oliver (W,6-5) 6533321 4.82
Javier Lopez 0.1133200 4.73
Nelson Cruz (H,2) 0.2111021 6.28
Justin Speier (H,12) 1000010 3.22
Brian Fuentes (S,2) 1111031 2.57
Pitches-Strikes - Darren Oliver 90-52, Javier Lopez 14-4, Nelson Cruz 15-10, Justin Speier 7-6, Brian Fuentes 16-12
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Darren Oliver 10-5
Batters Faced - Darren Oliver 25, Javier Lopez 4, Nelson Cruz 3, Justin Speier 3, Brian Fuentes 4
Eric Young, 2B4211101 .263
Scott Podsednik, CF4100110 .320
Geoff Jenkins, LF5114020 .286
Richie Sexson, 1B3110110 .262
Brady Clark, RF4110021 .246
Wes Helms, 3B4131010 .249
Keith Osik, C3001101 .231
Royce Clayton, SS4110004 .217
Matt Ford, P1001101 .000
    Luis Vizcaino, P0000000 .000
    John Foster, P0000000 .000
    Brooks Kieschnick, P0000000 .333
   a- Keith Ginter, PH1000001 .262
    Shane Nance, P0000000 .000
   b- Eddie Perez, PH1000010 .303
Totals34888589 
a-flied out for Kieschnick in the 7th
b-struck out for Nance in the 9th
Batting
2B - Wes Helms (14, Oliver)
HR - Eric Young (11, Fuentes), Geoff Jenkins (20, Cruz), Wes Helms (14, Oliver)
RBI - Eric Young (24), Geoff Jenkins 4 (66), Wes Helms (46), Keith Osik (9), Matt Ford (1)
2-OUT RBI - Wes Helms (18)
Team LOB - 4
Fielding
E - Royce Clayton (7, Misplayed grounder(E6)), Eric Young (12, Wild throw(E4))
Matt Ford (L,0-1) 4.2865241 3.16
Luis Vizcaino 0.1000000 8.29
John Foster 1322021 4.71
Brooks Kieschnick 1000000 4.82
Shane Nance 2111141 6.94
Pitches-Strikes - Matt Ford 82-54, Luis Vizcaino 4-2, John Foster 22-13, Brooks Kieschnick 9-5, Shane Nance 30-20
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Matt Ford 4-7, Luis Vizcaino 1-0, John Foster 1-0, Brooks Kieschnick 1-2, Shane Nance 1-1
Batters Faced - Matt Ford 25, Luis Vizcaino 1, John Foster 6, Brooks Kieschnick 3, Shane Nance 8
Attendance - 30731
Game Time - 2:43
Temperature - 88
Umpires - Home - Gerry Davis, First Base - Ed Rapuano, Second Base - Scott Nelson, Third Base - Mark Carlson
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