Rox Shoot For Four-Game Sweep Of Pirates
(Sports Network) - The Colorado Rockies will try and complete their first- ever four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon at Coors Field.Colorado won for the eighth time in its last nine games at home in the third test of this series on Saturday, as Garrett Atkins and Omar Quintanilla had two RBI apiece to back Jorge De La Rosa's superb pitching effort in a 7-1 win. Scott Podsednik was 4-for-5 with two runs scored while Brad Hawpe added three hits, scoring once with an RBI for the Rockies, who entered the All-Star break on a four-game skid. De La Rosa (4-5) kept the Pittsburgh bats in check throughout his six frames of work, limiting the Bucs to one run on seven hits and two walks, while fanning seven. Yoslan Herrera (0-1) lasted just 1 2/3 innings and was pounded for seven runs on eight hits in his second major league start. Freddy Sanchez was 3-for-4 with a run scored while Ryan Doumit provided the lone RBI for Pittsburgh, which has dropped four straight overall and six in a row on the road. Hoping to complete the sweep this afternoon for the Rockies will be All-Star right-hander Aaron Cook, who is 11-6 with a 3.57 ERA. Cook, who pitched three scoreless innings in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic, received a no-decision in his final start before the break against the New York Mets on July 11, as he allowed a run and six hits in six innings of a 2-1 loss. Cook is 0-1 lifetime against the Pirates with a 5.09 ERA in five games (two starts). Pittsburgh will counter with lefty Zach Duke, who is winless in his last six starts. Duke was tagged with the loss on July 11 against the St. Louis Cardinals, as he surrendered five runs and 10 hits in six innings, dropping him to 4-6 on the year with a 4.40 ERA. Duke has beaten the Rockies both times he has faced them and has pitched to a 2.77 ERA in those outings. Although Colorado won four of seven last year in the series, the Pirates won three of the four tests played at Coors Field.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.







