Holliday, Rockies rally to defeat Marlins <h3>COLORADO 4, FLORIDA 3</h3>MIAMI (Ticker) -- After being held down by a series of Floridapitchers, Matt Holliday and the Colorado Rockies finally brokethrough. Holliday hit a game-tying double and scored the winning run on asacrifice fly by Garrett Atkins as the Rockies rallied to beatthe Marlins, 4-3, on Thursday. Kaz Matsui had two hits and scored twice for Colorado, which haswon four of its last five games. Trailing, 3-2, to start the eighth, Matsui led off with aninfield single off Armando Benitez (2-7) and came all the wayaround to tie the game on Holliday's shot into the gap inright-center field. "It was good for us to be able to regain the lead and turn itover to our eighth and ninth inning guys," Holliday said."That's what it's all about. It's a big hit for the team.Obviously, any time you can help the team win, it's a big hit." Holliday, who took third on the throw home in an attempt to getMatsui, scored one out later on a sacrifice fly by Atkins tomake it 4-3. "I was thinking the same thing the whole time," Atkins said."Just try and get a strike and try and hit the ball in the airand score Holliday. I knew I didn't have to hit it too deep andhe scored pretty easily. I ended up hitting it pretty good." The blown save was the fifth of the season for Benitez, histhird since returning to the Marlins in May. "He (Holliday) hit a hanging slider," Benitez said. "Hey, whatcan I do? He got me today." LaTroy Hawkins (2-5), the third of five Rockies pitchers,allowed two hits in the seventh inning to record the win. "When you come in in that situation it's like a crapshootwhether you're going to get the win or not," Hawkins said."It's good that we can come in the next inning and score tworuns and get the lead." Jorge Julio pitched a scoreless eighth, before Manny Corpasworked around a one-out walk in the ninth to earn his eighthsave in 12 opportunities. "We did our job tonight," said Hawkins of the Rockies bullpen."We went out there got timely outs and it (turned out to be) thekey to the ballgame." Florida had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third whenJosh Willingham drilled a 2-1 pitch from Rockies rookie starterJason Hirsh over the left field wall to put the Marlins ahead.It was Willingham's 16th homer. Hirsh, who was making his first start in over a month, went 51/3 innings, yielding three runs, six hits and four walks. The25-year-old righthander, who tied his season-high with eightstrikeouts, had been on the disabled list since July 2 with asprained right ankle. "Jason battled, he gave us a chance to win the ballgame,"Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He'd probably like to havetwo pitches back. He spun two balls and left them over theplate and they hit them out of the ballpark." Florida had held down Colorado for most of the night despitesome strange circumstances in the fifth inning. Marlins rookie starter Rick VandenHurk allowed a walk and asingle in the top of the fifth to put runners at first and thirdwith one out. Manager Fredi Gonzalez came out to get the22-year-old after he had reached the 100-pitch mark, including65 for strikes. "Obviously you want to go as long as you can," VandenHurk said."But I threw a lot of pitches in the first inning, so Icouldn't go far in the game. ... 100 is a lot of pitches for 41/3 innings." VandenHurk allowed two runs, four hits and three walks in 4 1/3innings. In his place was fellow rookie Renyel Pinto, who proceeded tostrike out Matsui before throwing a strike to Holliday. However,after that pitch, Pinto bent over to try to touch his toes.Gonzalez and the team trainer immediately came out to the moundto talk to Pinto, who then left the game with a left shoulderstrain. "I felt a pinch after I struck out Matsui," Pinto said. "I hopeit's not serious." The club said Pinto would be re-evaluated on Friday. After Matt Lindstrom replaced Pinto with runners on the corners,Willy Taveras attempted to steal second base but was gunneddown by catcher Miguel Olivo to end the frame. "Using that many pitchers is tough duty for the bullpen twonights in a row," said Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez, who usedfour relievers the night before in a 4-3 win vs. the Rockies."We had some opportunities to add on (some runs). We justdidn't do it." The Rockies had taken an early lead in the first when with twoouts, VandenHurk walked two batters before yielding an RBIsingle to Atkins to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. A half-inning later, however, the Marlins took the lead afterHanley Ramirez walked and Uggla belted 1-2 pitch from Hirsh overthe left field wall for a 2-1 advantage. It was Uggla's 22ndblast, five shy of his career high set in 2006. Colorado tied the score in the third when Matsui hit a one-outsingle to right, stole second, and scored on a base hit to rightby Holliday. The Marlins have lost their last three series.
