Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Rockies 6, Dodgers 4
The Associated Press
DENVER — Jason Jennings, pitching five days after taking a wicked liner off his elbow, threw six innings and had an RBI double as the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Tuesday night.
The Rockies lost two of their top players during the game.
Third baseman Todd Zeile left after three innings when his wife, former gymnast Julianne McNamara, tripped at Coors Field and broke her ankle. Doctors were considering surgery for Zeile's wife, who also is pregnant.
After four innings, right fielder Larry Walker departed with soreness in his right elbow. Walker had elbow surgery after the 1997 season and again in 2000. Bell said X-rays were taken, but results weren't immediately available.
“We knew they were gone,” center fielder Juan Pierre said. “I think guys stepped it up a little. We knew we didn't have Walker and Zeile coming up, so guys took it upon themselves to get the hits.”
The Rockies erased a 4-2 deficit with four runs in the sixth. Colorado had five straight hits off Andy Ashby (1-1) to open the inning.
Todd Helton singled and scored on a double by Greg Norton, who replaced Zeile in the lineup. Todd Hollandsworth followed with an RBI single up the middle. Jose Ortiz singled and Gary Bennett lined a run-scoring single that handcuffed Eric Karros at first. Ortiz scored on pinch-hitter Terry Shumpert's double-play grounder.
“It's nice to come in here and see some smiles,” said Bennett, who had two hits. “Big hits at key times have been eluding us here early on. Maybe this will get us going.”
Jennings (1-1) went six innings, allowing nine hits and four runs — all on homers in the fourth. Jennings departed in the third inning of his previous start with a bruised pitching elbow, the result of a drive off the bat of Arizona's Steve Finley.
“Having to come out of my last game was a pretty bad experience,” Jennings said. “I was fortunate to recover quick enough to get the start. My elbow was fine. It just felt a little stiff toward the last inning or so.
“I had a problem with the big inning last year and I never seemed to recover from it. Tonight, I knew I had to keep us in the game.”
Jose Jimenez pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
Ashby said he “couldn't make a pitch in the sixth inning. I couldn't get an out. My control was a big problem.”
Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said his team was “just a base hit away” from retaking the lead in the late innings.
The Dodgers, who managed only an infield single off Jennings in the first three innings, cracked three homers in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.
Hiram Bocachica led off with a homer, his second. With one out, Paul Lo Duca hit a solo homer, his first. Karros singled and Marquis Grissom hit his first homer, a 412-foot shot to right-center.
The Rockies scored single runs in the first and second.
In the first, Juan Pierre singled off Ashby's right foot, stole second, went to third on a groundout and scored on Walker's grounder which was booted by second baseman Mark Grudzielanek for an error.
With two outs in the second, Bennett singled and scored on Jennings' double into the right-field corner.
Notes: Bennett returned to the lineup at catcher after missing the last three games because of a sore right wrist. ... Ashby went seven innings in a 9-0 win over Colorado on April 5 in Los Angeles. ... Until Tuesday's victory, Colorado had been 0-8 against the NL West. ... The last time the Dodgers had three homers in an inning was last June 28 at San Diego. ... Pierre stole two bases, his eighth multi-steal game. ... Helton, who opened the season hitting .100 (2-for-20), extended his hitting streak to nine games, during which he has hit .406 (13-for-32). He has raised his average to .288.
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Rockies 6, Dodgers 4 
