National League Game Summary - Los Angeles At Colorado
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Denver, CO -- (Sports Network) - Matt Holliday drove in a pair of runs to lead the Colorado Rockies in a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of their three-game series. Holliday finished 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, while Brad Hawpe and Ian Stewart each had two hits and an RBI, as the Rockies finished off their seven- game homestand with a 6-1 record. Glendon Rusch (4-3), who entered the game winless in 10 career appearances -- five starts -- against the Dodgers, tossed the minimum five innings to earn the win after serving up three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. The Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda (5-7) continued his road woes by yielding five runs on nine hits through six innings to take the loss. James Loney was 3-for-4, but the LA offense recorded just two extra-base hits in its second straight defeat. "It looked like Kuroda just couldn't find a comfortable rhythm, then in the last three innings, he was terrific," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "But we had chances. We had opportunities in which we had enough hits and had opportunities. It was a frustrating game for us." The fireworks got started in the home first when Scott Podsednik raced around for a leadoff double, moved to third when Jeff Baker beat out an infield single and scored on Holliday's base hit. Hawpe then grounded out to put runners on the corners before Garrett Atkins beat out a double play ball to bring in another run. LA quickly tied it at two in the second behind back-to-back run-scoring singles from Andy LaRoche and Danny Ardoin. On LaRoche's base hit, Hawpe threw out a coasting Andruw Jones at third to keep the damage to a minimum. Three consecutive extra-base hits to begin the third gave the Rockies the lead again. Holliday and Hawpe followed Baker's leadoff triple with consecutive run-scoring doubles, and Stewart followed two batters later with an RBI single to left. With a runner on first in the away fourth, Jones doubled off the right field wall to cut into the 5-2 deficit. The Rockies squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the seventh and it appeared costly when the Dodgers put the tying runs in scoring position an inning later. But Taylor Buchholz buckled down and fanned Jones and LaRoche to end the threat and leave the outcome in the hands of closer Brian Fuentes, who needed just 15 pitches to seal the win and his 17th save of the season. "I was sticking with the curveball at that point," said Buchholz, referring to the jam he put himself in. "I knew I needed strikeouts in that situation, and luckily, it was on for the most part."Game Notes:The Rockies have gone 11-2 at Coors Field in July...The Colorado offense racked up 53 runs during the homestand...Kuroda came into the game with a 2-6 record and 4.99 earned-run average on the road this season...Rusch has won three straight starts and came into the game 0-5 with a horrid 14.21 ERA in just 25 1/3 career innings against the Dodgers...LA still leads the season series 7-5...In the ninth, Fuentes surrendered a two-out base hit to Matt Kemp, ending his streak at 23 consecutive batters retired. The stretch set a franchise record, and Fuentes also tied the franchise saves record (102) held by Jose Jimenez.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.












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