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Rockies aiming to remain red-hot in opener with D-Backs

Fri 10th, September 2010

(Sports Network) - The Colorado Rockies have once again caught fire in September to get themselves back into the postseason races. Tonight they'll go for an eighth straight win when they open a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field.

It was 2007 when Colorado won 13 of its final 14 regular-season games to force a one-game playoff to capture the National League West crown, then just last year the Rockies ripped off eight straight wins from September 4-11 to help them claim the Wild Card.

The Rockies moved to the brink of another eight-game winning streak on Thursday, as the club overcame an early five-run deficit to pull out a 6-5 win and complete a four-game sweep over the National League Central-leading Cincinnati Reds.

The deciding run came on a straight steal of home, as Chris Nelson caught pitcher Nick Masset napping and raced home with the go-ahead run in the eighth.

"[Masset] was just looking right at the ground," said Nelson. "He really wasn't paying any attention to me, so I just decided to go. Once I mind up my mind that I was going, I was going."

Matt Belisle (7-5) got the win for recording the final two outs of the eighth.

Jason Giambi hit a two-run home run in the win, while Troy Tulowitzki added a solo shot for the Rockies, who have moved within 3 1/2 games of San Diego for first place in the NL West. The Padres lost to San Francisco on Thursday. The Rockies are also 3 1/2 games back of Atlanta for the Wild Card spot, as the Braves lost to St. Louis on Thursday.

Colorado is now 10-2 in its last 12 home games and 16-4 at Coors Field since July 29.

Hoping to keep the Rockies rolling tonight will be left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, who is 6-4 with a 4.18 ERA. De La Rosa beat the Padres on Sunday, holding them to a pair of runs and six hits in six innings.

"It was a very solid outing -- one pitch away from zeroes," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said after De La Rosa's last start.

De La Rosa is 4-2 lifetime against the D-Backs with a 1.88 ERA in 11 games, seven of which have been starts.

Arizona, meanwhile, will counter with lefty Joe Saunders, who is 2-4 with a 4.42 ERA since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in July. Saunders did not get a decision on Saturday against the Houston Astros, who managed just two runs and three hits off of him in seven innings.

Saunders beat the Rockies earlier in the year as a member of the Angels and is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts against them.

The Diamondbacks, who snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday to salvage the finale of their three-game series with the Giants, have split their 12 meetings with the Rockies this season. Colorado, though, has won eight of the last 10 at home in this series.