By Patrick Saunders
Denver Post Staff Writer
The Rockies’ slumbering bats finally have come out of hibernation.
Colorado belted 13 hits en route to a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Coors Field.
The victory, however, was tempered by the loss of starting pitcher Rodrigo Lopez. The right-hander left the game after four innings with tightness in his right elbow.
The problem forced Lopez to miss a start last week, but Monday he said his elbow felt fine.
He entered Wednesday’s game with a 1-0 record and 1.38 ERA. In four innings, he gave up one run on four hits.
Initial reports were that Lopez’s injury was more muscle-related than a structural problem in the elbow.
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba’s based-loaded double in the fourth off Dodgers starter Derek Lowe turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead. From that point, the Rockies piled it on. Matt Holliday went 3-for-4, scored two runs and raised his average to .344. Brad Hawpe was 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored.
Colorado’s offensive explosion came on the heels of Tuesday night’s five-run eighth inning that lifted the Rockies to a 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Before Tuesday’s game, the Rockies had gone 22 innings without a run, the second-
longest scoreless stint in franchise history.
