Drought Ends for Rockies in Win Over A’s

Finally Monday night, 10 runs were enough.

They hadn’t been a few hours earlier.

Jeff Cirillo’s 10th-inning single scored Tom Goodwin with the winning run in Colorado’s 10-9 win over Oakland that broke a Rockies’ drought that had driven many to distraction.

“This is a tough time for us,” Colorado Manager Buddy Bell said. “We have to hammer away and figure it out.”

The Rockies had hammered away earlier in the day, but figured out nothing in an 11-10 loss in the first game of the day-night doubleheader. It extended their losing streak to 11 games, dating back to July 3 at San Diego.

But on Monday night, it got better, though not without more than a few moments that have begun to look all too familiar.

The Rockies spotted Oakland a 4-0 lead and were held hitless for 5 1/3 innings by Ariel Prieto before Mike Lansing tripled off the center-field wall.

They then came back twice to lead--blowing each advantage--and needed Todd Walker’s single that scored Cirillo to tie the game, 9-9, in the ninth inning.

Mike DeJean (4-1), the last of the Rockies’ seven pitchers, earned the victory by shutting out the Athletics in the 10th inning.

That victory came when Goodwin drew a two-out walk off Jason Isringhausen, who then walked Brian Hunter. Scott Service replaced Isringhausen (4-3) and Cirillo hit a liner to left-center to bring home Goodwin.

Jason Giambi’s two-out two-run single in the ninth inning gave Oakland a short-lived 9-8 lead.

The Athletics trailed, 8-7, when Terrence Long reached on an infield single and Randy Velarde singled off Gabe White. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Giambi sent a 1-and-1 pitch past second baseman Walker, scoring Long and Velarde.

Colorado rallied from a 7-6 deficit on Neifi Perez’s two-out two-run double in the eighth inning after Oakland went ahead in the top half on Miguel Tejada’s two-out, three-run home run.

In Game 1, Olmedo Saenz had three hits, including a double and home run, and four RBIs, and Jeremy Giambi added a two-run homer in the A’s 11-10 win.

Adam Piatt went two for four with two RBIs for the A’s, who won for only the second time in six games at Coors Field.

Saenz, a .310 hitter against the AL, has hit .411 in 12 games against the NL.