Long ball powers Rays past Rockies 12-4

[June 17, 2009]  DENVER (AP) -- Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and the Tampa Bay Rays powered their way past Colorado 12-4 Tuesday night, snapping the Rockies' 11-game winning streak with a franchise-best 11 extra-base hits.

Longoria and Pena hit two of the Rays' five homers. Kapler, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton also homered.

Colorado's winning streak was tied with Boston for the longest in the majors this season and also tied for the longest in Rockies' history, matching the mark set during their 21-1 run to the 2007 World Series.

Leading Tampa's 17-hit onslaught, Kapler and Zobrist both finished a double shy of the cycle and Upton was a triple short.

The Rays won their sixth straight and right-hander Jeff Niemann (6-4) benefited from the offensive outburst.

Niemann (6-4) allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits and two walks in five innings in his first career start against the Rockies, who lost for the first time since June 3 at Houston.

Kapler tied his career high with four RBIs and would have had extra bases on a shot that center fielder Dexter Fowler caught on the warning track in the sixth.

Colorado is 13-5 under manager Jim Tracy, who replaced Clint Hurdle after an 18-28 start.

Aside from Jason Hammel's start on Sunday being stunted to 5 1-3 innings by a tornado warning and a long rain delay, all of the Rockies' starters had pitched into the seventh inning in June.

Not so Tuesday night. Jorge De La Rosa (2-7) was tagged for seven earned runs on eight hits in just 2 1-3 innings.

After giving up Longoria's 15th home run in the first, De La Rosa allowed a two-run triple to Kapler after third baseman Ian Stewart let his foul ball drop to the grass. Kapler scored on Dioner Navarro's single and Upton added a run-scoring double for 5-0 lead.

The Rockies got one run back in the bottom of the inning on Stewart's sacrifice fly, but De La Rosa gave it right back in the third when Jason Bartlett's sacrifice fly made it 6-1, and Kapler sent De La Rosa to the showers with his fourth homer, a shot to left field.

Pena hit his 21st homer in the fifth off reliever Josh Fogg and Zobrist connected for his 14th home run two innings later off Randy Flores. Upton made it five long balls with a two-run shot, his fourth, off Matt Daley in the eighth.

Notes: This was the first game since a loss at Houston on June 1 that the Rockies never led. ... According to Elias, the only other manager to guide his team to a longer winning streak after an in-season managerial change than Tracy was Phil Garner, whose Astros won 12 straight in 2004 after he replaced Jimy Williams. ... Rockies RHP Taylor Buchholz will undergo Tommy John-style ligament-replacement surgery on his right elbow Wednesday. He was injured this spring after appearing in a career-best 63 games in '08. ... Bartlett returned from a sprained ankle that landed him on the 15-day DL.

[Associated Press; By ARNIE STAPLETON]

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