The Associated Press

DENVER - Jeff Austin wasn't about to let Coors Field deprive him of his first major league win.

Shrugging off the burdens of the hitter-friendly ballpark, Austin took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning en route to a 7-2 win over the Rockies.

"He doesn't get rattled," Reds manager Bob Boone said of Austin, who was making his second big league start. "He never got rattled in this park, and that is pretty special."

Austin (1-1) said being staked to an early 7-0 lead was "huge."

"It helped me relax. I could throw a curveball without worrying," he said.

Austin departed after walking the first two batters in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Greg Norton hit a two-run double off reliever Gabe White to cut Cincinnati's lead to 7-2.

"Those walks in the seventh inning bothered me," Austin said. "I didn't like to finish that way. I had gotten there by attacking hitters. Then I started to nitpick."

"Jeff was awesome," said third baseman Aaro Boone, who had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs. "We need guys like him to step up if we're going to make a run."

Austin, who made 31 relief appearances over two seasons for Kansas City before being acquired by Cincinnati on March 6, gave up a leadoff single to Jose Hernandez in the second and issued two walks in the third, but escaped without any damage. The only other hit Austin allowed was a one-out single by Chris Stynes in the fourth.

Austin also got his first major league hit, a single in the second.