Aug 21, 2008 3:46 pm US/Pacific
Lowe Helps Dodgers Avoid Sweep From Rockies
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
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Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Derek Lowe cooled off Colorado by allowing one run in 6 1-3 innings, James Loney homered and had two RBIs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Rockies 3-1 Thursday to salvage the finale of a three-game series.
The victory gave the Dodgers a 7-3 record on their 10-game homestand and moved them within 1 1/2 games of NL West-leading Arizona, which played visiting San Diego on Thursday night.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Rockies, who scored 36 runs in three wins in Washington and two more at Dodger Stadium. It also ended Colorado's four-game winning streak against the Dodgers.
Lowe (10-10), who allowed four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts, was relieved by Hong-Chih Kuo after issuing a one-out walk to Jeff Baker in the seventh. Kuo struck out pinch hitter Troy Tulowitzki before Clint Barmes blooped a double to right. With the tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position, pinch hitter Willy Tavares popped to first to end the inning.
Kuo then retired the Rockies in order in the eighth, and Jonathan Broxton worked the ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances since taking over the closer's role last month when Takashi Saito went on the disabled list. Ian Stewart opened the ninth with a double before Broxton struck out Chris Iannetta, Baker and Tulowitzki to end the game.
The Rockies scored their run in the first when Barmes singled, stole second, took third on an infield out and came home on Matt Holliday's sacrifice fly.
The Dodgers tied it with an unearned run against Jorge De La Rosa (6-7) in the fourth when Manny Ramirez reached on an error by third baseman Stewart, stole second without a throw and scored on Loney's out-out single, the first Los Angeles hit. The stolen base was Ramirez's first with the Dodgers and second of the season.
Matt Kemp hit a two-out double in the fifth and scored on Andre Ethier's single to put the Dodgers ahead for good, and Loney opened the seventh by hitting a 2-1 pitch from Luis Vizcaino over the right field fence for his 10th homer to complete the scoring. Vizcaino then struck out the next three batters.
De La Rosa was lifted for a pinch hitter after allowing four hits and two runs, one earned, in six innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Lowe, who threw 107 pitches on a hot day, worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the fourth by getting De La Rosa on a fly to left, and then retired the next seven batters—four on strikes—before the walk to Baker.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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