Saturday, April 20, 2013
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Chacin injured as Rockies beat Diamondbacks

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[April 20, 2013]  DENVER (AP) -- Jhoulys Chacin pitched effectively into the seventh inning and became the first Rockies starter to throw 100 pitches in a game since last June before leaving with an injury as Colorado beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 Friday night.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer and Chacin helped himself by driving in a run with a sacrifice fly as the Rockies won their seventh in row and remained unbeaten in seven home games this season.

Chacin (3-0) was seen grabbing his lower left back after throwing his fourth pitch to Arizona's Cody Ross with one out in the seventh inning. He was taken out of the game after a conference near the mound with manager Walt Weiss and team trainers and replaced by reliever Wilton Lopez.

The last time a Colorado starter reached the century mark in pitches was last June 12, a stretch of 117 games. It was the longest string in the majors since records started being kept by STATS in 1988. Before the Rockies' streak, the longest string of starters not throwing 100 pitches in a game was held by Washington, which went 33 games from Aug. 31, 2011, to April 10, 2012.

Just prior to the conclusion of the game, the team announced that Chacin exited the game with left oblique tightness and would be re-evaluated Saturday.

Chacin faced the minimum through four innings, inducing Paul Goldschmidt to ground into an inning ending double play after allowing his first hit, a single by Gerardo Parra, to start the fourth.

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In the fifth, Chacin worked out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam by fanning his Arizona counterpart, Ian Kennedy. The Diamondbacks got an unearned run on third baseman Chris Nelson's throwing error in the ninth before Rafael Betancourt closed the game out for his sixth save in six chances.

Kennedy (1-2), who allowed three runs on three hits in six innings, was overpowering early, He retired the first 10 batters he faced, half of them on strikeouts. With one out in the fourth, Josh Rutledge became the first Rockies batter to reach when he walked.

After Carlos Gonzalez struck out, Tulowitzki got hold of Kennedy's first offering and drove it over the left field wall for his fifth home run of the season. He had come into the at-bat hitting .166 in 18 plate appearances against Kennedy, though it was his second homer off the Diamondbacks' starter.

The Rockies added another run in the fifth when Nelson tripled over the head of center fielder A.J. Pollock and Chacin followed with a sacrifice fly.

NOTES: Diamondbacks batting coach Don Baylor, who was the Rockies' inaugural manager and led them to their first postseason berth in 1995, was inducted Thursday into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. ... Nine of Tulowitzki's 15 RBIs this season have given the Rockies a lead.

[Associated Press; By DENNIS GEORGATOS]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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