Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Todd Helton went 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI and Troy Tulowitzki continued his torrid September with a two-run homer, as the Rockies downed Los Angeles, 7-5, on the day Joe Torre announced he will step down as Dodgers manager following the season.
Melvin Mora had two hits and drove in a pair for Colorado, which has won two straight and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the NL West-leading Giants. The Rockies also trail Atlanta for the top spot in the wild card race by 2 1/2 games.
Ubaldo Jimenez (19-6) was credited with the win after allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings.
A.J. Ellis went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI for the Dodgers, who named hitting coach Don Mattingly as Torre’s successor next year.
LA pushed a run across in the ninth on Casey Blake’s RBI single and had the go-ahead run at the plate, but Huston Street struck out Matt Kemp to pick up his 20th save of the season.
Hiroki Kuroda (10-13) remains winless in seven career starts against Colorado, as he was charged with five runs — three earned — on seven hits in six innings in the club’s third straight setback.
Eric Young Jr. reached on Rafael Furcal’s error to lead off the game, and with two outs, Tulowitzki turned on a high fastball and sent it down the left-field line and over the wall for his 12th home run this month — half his season total.
LA tied it in the second when Kemp tripled home Jay Gibbons and scored on Ellis’ base hit to center.
Colorado put runners on the corners in the fourth, and Mora, Seth Smith and Miguel Olivo recorded consecutive run-scoring singles for a 5-2 game.
Ellis’ double plated Kemp in the home half, and Gibbons’ groundout an inning later knocked in Ryan Theriot, who was hit by a pitch to start the frame.
Despite Young getting picked off trying to steal third in the seventh, the Rockies managed to get two insurance runs off Jonathan Broxton.
With two outs and runners on first and second, Helton drove home Carlos Gonzalez with a line drive hit to right, and Mora’s blooper down the right- field line brought in Tulowitzki for a three-run cushion.
LA threatened by loading the bases with one out in the bottom half, but Matt Belisle struck out Blake and got Kemp on a routine grounder to short to end the inning.
The Dodgers have won five consecutive series with the Rockies at home and 10 of their last 11 series with Colorado overall…The Dodgers are the only team to have beaten Jimenez twice this season…Jimenez matched New York’s CC Sabathia and Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay as baseball’s only 19-game winners. He is 18-0 when the Rockies score three or more runs in a game…Ryan Spilborghs extended his hitting streak to 11 in the eighth inning with a pinch-hit single…LA’s Andre Ethier recorded a single and four walks in five plate appearances…Gibbons had three hits in the loss.