GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: ST LOUIS (20-27) at COLORADO (23-27)

Francis dominant as Rockies win sixth straight

<h3>COLORADO 6, ST LOUIS 2</h3>DENVER (Ticker) -- Jeff Francis and the Colorado Rockiescontinue to have the hot hand.

Francis pitched into the eighth inning and Matt Holiday and BradHawpe smacked homers as the Rockies won their season-highstraight game with a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals onMonday afternoon.

Kaz Matsui had two hits and an RBI for Colorado, which had notsecured this many wins in a row since reeling off six straightfrom May 21-26, 2002.

Francis (4-4) entered the game on a roll, posting 2-0 mark witha 1.54 ERA over his last four starts - one of which was againstthe Cardinals on May 7. The 6-5 lefthander did not receive adecision in that game - a 3-2 Rockies win - though he allowedjust two runs and four hits and three walks in seven innings.

It was an even more impressive outing this time around forFrancis, who had a shutout with two outs in the eighth inningbefore yielding a two-run homer to So Taguchi - the last batterhe faced.

He allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2/3 frames, whilestriking out three and walking one. Ramon Ramirez got the finalout in the eighth, and Jorge Julio hurled a clean ninth tofinish the game.

Holliday belted a solo homer off St. Louis starter Kip Wells(2-9) in the first to start the scoring. After the Rockiesadded two runs in the fifth, Hawpe highlighted a three-runseventh with a two-run blast to make it 6-0.

Willy Taveras and Matsui singled to lead off the inning, andafter Holliday grounded out to short to score a run, Hawpefollowed with his soaring blast to left.

Wells yielded six runs - five earned - and 11 hits in 6 1/3frames for Cardinals, who have lost three out of their last fourcontests.

 

Francis dominant as Rockies win sixth straight

<h3>COLORADO 6, ST LOUIS 2</h3>DENVER (Ticker) -- Jeff Francis and the Colorado Rockiescontinue to have the hot hand.

Francis pitched into the eighth inning and Matt Holiday and BradHawpe smacked homers as the Rockies won their season-high sixthstraight game with a 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinalson Monday afternoon.

Kaz Matsui had two hits and an RBI for Colorado, which had notsecured this many wins in a row since reeling off six straightfrom May 21-26, 2002.

"It feels good, anytime you've won six in a row. We're playinggood baseball right now," Holliday said.

"I think we've always expected this out of ourselves," Francissaid. "Right now, these last six games, we're doing what we'vealways expected to do."

Francis (4-4) entered the game on a roll, posting a 2-0 markwith a 1.54 ERA over his last four starts - one of which wasagainst the Cardinals on May 7. The 6-5 lefthander did notreceive a decision in that game - a 3-2 Rockies win - though heallowed just two runs, four hits and three walks in seveninnings.

It was an even more impressive outing this time around forFrancis, who had a shutout with two outs in the eighth inningbefore yielding a two-run homer to So Taguchi - the last batterhe faced.

"I tried to go after them early in the game and I was throwingthe ball away a lot, so I could tell they were trying to adjustto that," Francis said. "I tried to change speeds a little moreand mix up the pitches and not try to get into a pattern."

"He was efficient," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He had12 ground-ball outs and was very, very effective. He pitched agood ballgame for us today."

He allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2/3 frames, whilestriking out three and walking one. Ramon Ramirez got the finalout in the eighth, and Jorge Julio hurled a clean ninth tofinish the game.

"The first time around he got us with the fastball and got aheadand the second and third times through he started throwing alittle bit of off-speed, and he was working ahead," saidCardinals left fielder Ryan Ludwick, who went 0-for-4 Monday."We had a couple good swings on him, but for the most part hedid a good job. We just didn't get the job done today."

Holliday belted a solo homer off St. Louis starter Kip Wells(2-9) in the first to start the scoring. After the Rockiesadded two runs in the fifth, Hawpe highlighted a three-runseventh with a two-run blast to make it 6-0.

"He (Wells) made too many mistakes, and offensively, we had twolittle rallies. We didn't give him any room for mistakesoffensively," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

Willy Taveras and Matsui singled to lead off the inning and,after Holliday grounded out to short to score a run, Hawpefollowed with his soaring blast to left.

"You get those two guys (Taveras and Matsui) on base, it justchanges everything. They're just so fast," Hawpe said. "It'sreally nice to have them get on base to start the game or startsome innings, it's good for us."

Wells yielded six runs - five earned - and 11 hits in 6 1/3frames for Cardinals, who have lost three out of their last fourcontests.