There was no need to check the scoreboard. The occasional grins and sounds of Staind in the ninth inning told the story of a Rockies’ team earning an important victory Saturday.
With the season at the quarterpole and the Rockies gasping for air, there’s no way to diminish a 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.
It represented two things that haven’t happened enough this season: wins against the National League West and wins at home.
The Rockies improved to 11-14 against division rivals and 8-8 at Coors Field with a convincing performance before an announced crowd of 33,569, the largest since opening day. That Colorado can win the series today is a credit to Jeff Francis and Matt Holliday.
Francis broke a career-long four-game losing streak in emphatic fashion. He yielded just two runs and four hits in eight innings. Matt Holliday provided all the support necessary, crushing a pair of home runs. His three-run blast in the first inning off Barry Zito pushed Colorado ahead for good. Jeff Baker added a solo home run in Zito’s forgettable 32-pitch inning.
Closer Brian Fuentes brought the crowd to its feet with a three-pitch strikeout of Barry Bonds, who was previously 8-for-10 with two home runs off the left-hander.
Staff writer Troy Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
