Coors Field was rocked by a blast from the past this afternoon.
Hitting with vigor that would make the old Blake Street Bombers envious, the Rockies clubbed 11 extra-base hits en route to a 19-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The 11 extra-base hits tied a franchise record and the 23 total hits were one shy of the club record. The 19 runs were the most scored by a National League team this season and was one run short of the franchise record of 20.
Garrett Atkins continued on a torrid pace, going 4-for-4 and tying a career high by driving in six runs. Atkins has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games at a .460 clip (29-for-63).
Drowned out by the Rockies’ offensive deluge was the fact that starter Jeff Francis (13-5) set a franchise record by becoming the first starter to win eighth-straight decisions. He gave up three runs on six hits in five innings.
Today’s win completed a three-game sweep of the Brewers and gave the Rockies their fifth straight home victory. Colorado has won 15 of its last 18 games at Coors Field.
The victory, however, was tempered by news that rookie starting pitcher Jason Hirsh has a fractured fibula in his right leg. Earlier in the day, X-rays revealed the break. The Brewers” J.J. Hardy smoked a line drive off Hirsh’s leg in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game. Though hobbled, Hirsh continued pitching and threw six innings to earn his fifth victory of the season. There has been no timetable set for Hirsh’s return.
And there was more bad news when first baseman Todd Helton, who hit two homers Tuesday night for his first multi-homer game in nearly two years, left today’s game in the third inning because of back spasms. He’s officially listed as day-to-day.
Prior to the game, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle praised Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo as one of baseball’s best young prospects. But Gallardo got shelled like Charlie Brown. In a mere 2.2 innings, he surrendered 11 runs on 12 hits, including home runs to Ryan Spilborghs and Brad Hawpe in the Rockies’ seven-run second innings.
Troy Tulowitzki went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and hit a two-run homer in the Rockies’ five-run fourth.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
