Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Carlos Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI, as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 10-5, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Coors Field.
Dexter Fowler chipped in with two triples and three RBI, while Ryan Spilborghs added a solo homer for Colorado, which have won six of its last seven.
"Hopefully I can get better and keep putting pressure on the pitchers," said Gonzalez. "Stealing bases and creating situations for the hitters behind me will help us score runs."
Jason Hammel (9-7), 1-4 with a 4.82 earned run average in his previous eight starts coming in, worked 5 1/3 innings and yielded two runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out seven in taking the victory. He also added an RBI single among two hits.
Ryan Theriot had two hits and a pair of RBI for the Dodgers, who had won four in a row before dropping the last two games of the series.
Ted Lilly (8-9), who had won his five previous starts with the Dodgers since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs, was roughed up for seven runs on nine hits in four frames. The veteran lefty struck out eight and walked one.
The Rockies plated a run in the second and third innings to grab the early advantage. Todd Helton led off the second with a double and crossed the plate two batters later on Chris Iannetta's two-bagger to center. Gonzalez then hit a two-out solo homer to right in the third.
In the fourth, Colorado broke it open by pushing across five two-out runs. Jonathan Herrera started things with a triple and scored on Hammel's base hit to center. After Eric Young Jr. drew a walk, Fowler brought in a pair with a three-bagger to right. Gonzalez capped the inning with a two-run homer to right field to put the hosts ahead 7-0.
Jay Gibbons' pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth got the Dodgers on the board, but Spilborghs' solo homer in the bottom portion got the run back. A run-scoring double by James Loney in the sixth made it 8-2. During the sixth inning, Dodgers' pinch-hitter Manny Ramirez took a called strike at the knees on the first pitch of the at-bat and was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom.
"I went out and asked Cederstrom about it between innings" said Los Angeles manager Joe Torre about Cederstrom. "I was very disappointed in the fact that he threw him out because he said the pitch was outside. He said he was demonstrative about it and I said what the hell does that mean."
LA got to the Rockies bullpen for three in the top of the eighth on a pinch- hit RBI single from Ronnie Belliard and two-run single by Theriot. It could have been more, but Loney grounded out to shortstop with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Fowler's RBI triple and sac fly from Gonzalez in the home half put Colorado up 10-5.
Huston Street worked a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the win.
Despite the loss, Los Angeles has still won seven of 12 meetings with Colorado this season and 21 of the last 30 contests in this series...Lilly, who pitched to a 1.83 ERA in 34 1/3 innings with the Dodgers coming into the contest, fell to 4-2 in seven lifetime starts against Colorado.