Rockies beat Cardinals 7-2 behind Jimenez

[June 08, 2009]  ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Ubaldo Jimenez threw eight innings of four-hit ball, Paul Phillips drove in three runs and the streaking Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday.

Phillips had a career-best four hits, including his first homer since 2006. Troy Tulowitzki, who missed four games with a bruised left hand, had two hits and an RBI.s

The Rockies have scored 38 runs in their first four-game winning streak of the year and are 6-4 under manager Jim Tracy after going 18-28 under Clint Hurdle.

Albert Pujols had a rare two-run sacrifice fly in the first inning for the Cardinals, who have totaled three runs and nine hits in the last two games. Joel Pineiro (5-6) allowed three runs in five innings after skipping a start due to back spasms.

The Cardinals have lost seven of 10 and scored three or fewer runs in seven of those games.

Skip Schumaker singled and Colby Rasmus doubled to open the first and both came in when left fielder Carlos Gonzalez banged into the wall in left-center after stretching to track down Pujols' drive. Gonzalez flipped the ball to center fielder Dexter Fowler but Rasmus scored easily from second.

Jimenez (4-6) retired 17 in a row before the next hit, a two-out double by Rasmus in the sixth. Jimenez had a season-high nine strikeouts and won for the first time in five starts since May 12 against the Astros.

The 32-year-old Phillips is getting a chance as the backup catcher with Yorvit Torrealba on the restricted list after the kidnapping of his 11-year-old son and brother-in-law, and Chris Iannetta on the 15-day disabled list. He singled in his first three at-bats, including the go-ahead hit in the sixth for a 3-2 lead, and homered in a four-run eighth.

Phillips had two career three-hit games before Sunday, the last one on Sept. 25, 2005, with the Royals. He has three homers in parts of six seasons, the last on Sept. 29, 2006, for the Royals at Detroit.

Notes: Two players had two-run sacrifice flies last year, Joe Mauer and A.J. Pierzynski, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. No Cardinals player had one in records dating to 1960, although Tommy Herr hit one in Game 4 of the 1982 World Series at Milwaukee. ... Chris Duncan is 4 for 39 against the Rockies with one RBI. ... Jimenez has made eight of his 12 starts on the road. ... Pineiro is 1-6 with a 4.09 ERA his last seven starts after going 4-0 with a 3.86 ERA in April.

[Associated Press; By R.B. FALLSTROM]

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