Holliday hits 2 homers as Cardinals beat Rockies

[August 02, 2012]  DENVER (AP) -- Matt Holliday homered twice and drove in five runs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 9-6 on a rain-soaked Wednesday night.

Yadier Molina had three hits and Jake Westbrook pitched six innings to get the win.

Josh Rutledge homered and Tyler Colvin had two triples among his three hits for the Rockies, who have lost five straight and seven in a row at home.

The game was delayed by rain for 1 hour, 26 minutes after the seventh inning.

Holliday had his second straight big night at the plate against his former team. On Monday he homered and drove in four runs and he continued his assault Tuesday with the 17th multihomer game of his career and the first this season.

His big blow came in the seventh inning. With Colorado leading 5-3, pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker walked and Daniel Descalso singled. Reliever Matt Belisle (3-3) came on and Holliday hit a 1-0 pitch deep into the seats in left to put the Cardinals back on top. It was his 21st homer of the season.

The Cardinals scored again in the eighth and twice in the ninth to pad the lead.

In the first inning, Holliday connected off starter Drew Pomeranz for a two-run homer that gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

Holliday, who had three hits, is 13-for-24 against Colorado this year.

St. Louis made it 3-0 in the second on doubles by Molina and Tyler Greene. Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez limited the damage by reaching over the fence to rob Greene of a home run. The ball popped out of Gonzalez's glove into the outfield. Umpires upheld the double call after a 50-second video review.

The Rockies got one back in the fourth. Colvin tripled with one out and scored on Ramon Hernandez's groundout to short to make it 3-1.

Colorado took the lead in the sixth. Andrew Brown and Jordan Pacheco led off with consecutive doubles, Colvin tripled and Hernandez, who had three hits, doubled to give the Rockies a 4-3 lead.

Eric Young Jr. made it 5-3 with a double to right but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple.

Rutledge homered with two outs in the ninth, his fourth game this season.

Westbrook (10-8) gave up five runs on nine hits, struck out two and walked four.

NOTES: Rockies 1B Todd Helton (flulike symptoms) and OF Michael Cuddyer (sore oblique) were out of the lineup. ... The Cardinals activated RHP Edward Mujica and optioned RHP Trevor Rosenthal to Triple-A Memphis. Mujica was acquired from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. ... David Freese extended his hitting streak to 12 games. ... The Rockies activated C Wil Nieves from the 15-day DL and designated him for assignment. ...

[Associated Press]

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