Colorado Rockies 6, Cleveland Indians 3: Rocky Mountain Sweep

The last three days have been like a broken record.  Colorado wins, the record skips, Colorado wins, the record skips, and Colorado wins 6-3. 

The only difference on Thursday was that the Indians jumped out to the early lead, something the Rockies accomplished in the first two games.  Unlike

Cleveland, though, Colorado overcame the early deficit and won.

Jeremy Sowers pitched six innings for the Tribe, scattering 10 hits and giving up four runs, three of them earned.  Jose De La Rosa also went six for the Rockies, gave up four hits and three runs, but with a whopping ten strikeouts.  He goes to 2-3 on the year.  Sowers remained winless with an 0-2 mark. 

The win got the Rockies out of the cellar in the NL West.  The Indians moved one step closer to the basement, holding a slim lead over the Kansas City Royals.

It was a bad day to lose in the AL Central.  Everybody won, with the exception of the Detroit Tigers.  They had the night off.

The Indians opened the game with Grady Sizemore beating out a grounder to first for a single.  Colorado misplayed covering the base, and it could have went as a hit or an error.  After stealing second and Jamey Carroll grounding out, Ben Francisco homered and made it 2-0 Tribe.

Colorado, as they did all series, got one of the runs back in the bottom of the first.  Quintanilla hit an infield single and took second on a passed ball badly misplayed by Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach.  Holliday immediately singled to center, scoring Quintanilla.  2-1 Tribe.

In the fourth, the Rockies strung together three hits, tying the game at two apiece.  Garrett Atkins hit an infield single, Brad Hawpe doubled, and Yorvit Torrealba had the second infield single of the inning to score Atkins.

In the bottom of the fifth, Colorado moved into the lead—NL style.  Wily Taveras bunted his way on and ended up on second on a Casey Blake error.  Quintanilla sac-bunted Taveras to third, and Matt Holliday singled him home.

The Indians tied it up in the top of the sixth on a home run by Casey Blake.  That would be as close as the Indians would come to sniffing victory this whole series.

Jason Baker homered in the bottom half the sixth, and the Rockies pulled away.

Masa Kobayashi came on for the Tribe in the seventh, and surrendered three hits and two runs. 

Joe Borowski worked the bottom of the eighth since he hasn’t pitched in a while, giving up a double and striking out Quintanilla to end the inning.

The Indians finished the game with three runs on five hits.  Colorado had six runs on fourteen hits.

Manny Corpas and Taylor Buchholz each earned a hold, both pitching a hitless and scoreless inning.  Brian Fuentes earned his 13th save of the season.

Cleveland takes on the L.A. Dodgers at 10:40 PM Friday; Cliff Lee against Clayton Kershaw.

Colorado remains at home for a 9:05 start against the New York Mets; John Maine versus Aaron Cook.