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DENVER (AP) -
Aaron Cook
hardly looked like an All-Star in the first inning Sunday. He did in his final six innings.
Cook, who impressed with three scoreless innings in his first All-Star appearance this year, was roughed up for three runs
in the first. He recorvered and gave up just one hit over his final six innings to help the
Colorado Rockies
complete a four-game sweep of the
Pittsburgh Pirates
on Sunday, 11-3.
Matt Holliday
and
Jeff Baker
homered and had three hits each,
Clint Barmes
had three hits and
Ian Stewart
was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs for the Rockies, who swept a four-game series for the first time this season.
Cook (12-6) said he had a little too much adrenaline after Tuesday's All-Star Game, where he pitched three scoreless innings
for the National League.
''That first inning, I was a little geeked up trying to throw the ball a little too hard coming off the All-Star break. I
was out of rhythm,'' Cook said. ''I was rushing, getting the ball up in the zone. I was trying to do too much, throw too hard.''
The Pirates made the Colorado ace pay.
Luis Rivas
led off with a single,
Doug Mientkiewicz
walked and
Nate McLouth
singled to make it 1-0. After a double play scored Mientkiewicz,
Xavier Nady
doubled and came home on
Adam LaRoche
's single to make it 3-0.
Cook settled down and mowed through the Pittsburgh lineup after that. He faced the minimum over his last six innings, allowing
just
Zach Duke
's fifth-inning single, which was wiped out on a double play.
''I think at times we made him look better,'' LaRoche said. ''We missed a lot of good pitches to hit, we hit some balls hard
right at people and we swung at good pitches in hitters counts.''
The Pirates had one hit after the first inning until Mientkiewicz led off the ninth with a double.
While Cook took control, the Rockies offense heated up against Duke (4-7), who went five-plus innings, striking out five.
He retired the first 10 batters of the game before giving up nine runs to his final 16 batters. He left after
Brad Hawpe
doubled, Barmes singled and Stewart doubled home both runners to make it 8-3 to start the sixth.
Denny Bautista
relieved Duke and gave up a sacrifice fly to Will Taveras to make it 9-3.
''Offensively, we kept finding a way to do the right things,'' Rockies manager
Clint Hurdle
said. ''When you have eight extra-base hits, two home runs, you should win the game.''
The Rockies took the lead for good in the fifth. Barmes led off with a triple, Stewart doubled and two outs later, Baker and
Holliday hit home runs on consecutive pitches to make it 6-3. It was Baker's seventh of the season and 16th for Holliday.
It was the third time this season Colorado has hit back-to-back home runs.
Duke was cruising before Baker reached on an infield single in the third. Holliday doubled to score Baker, and after
Garrett Atkins
popped out
Chris Iannetta
doubled to left-center to cut Pittsburgh's lead to 3-2.
The Pirates have lost five straight and six of their last seven.
''It's unfortunate we aren't scoring or hitting,'' Pittsburgh manager
John Russell
said. ''We'll come out of it.''
Notes: Rockies SS
Troy Tulowitzki
(lacerated right hand) is scheduled to be activated from the 15-day disabled list Monday. ... Rockies LHP
Jeff Francis
(shoulder inflammation) is scheduled for two rehab assignments and will be evaluated after those are completed. ... The Pirates
announced they will call up
John Van Benschoten
to pitch the opening game of their three-game series at Houston on Monday.
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