Rockies Win Power Game

Todd Helton became the sixth player in Colorado history to hit three home runs in a game, going four for five with five RBIs to lead the Rockies over the Montreal Expos, 15-8, Monday night.

Larry Walker and Jeffrey Hammonds also homered for the Rockies, and the teams tied a Coors Field record with 10 home runs. The Rockies and New York Mets scored 61 runs in three games over the weekend.

Helton, who has nine career multi-homer games in three seasons--four against Montreal--hit a pair of two-run homers off starter Dustin Hermanson (3-2) and added a solo shot off Anthony Telford in the seventh.

He joined Kevin Elster of the Dodgers and Alex Rodriguez of the Mariners as players who have hit three homers in a game this season.

Chris Widger hit two solo homers and Peter Bergeron added his first career home run for the Expos, who lost for only the fourth time in 12 games.

Helton’s second homer of the game--a liner off Hermanson (3-2)--gave the Rockies an 8-7 lead in the fifth. Helton was 0 for 7 in his career against Hermanson before hitting his first two homers.

Walker added a two-run shot as part of a six-run sixth that gave Colorado a seven-run cushion.

Gabe White (1-0) retired all three hitters he faced in relief of starter Jarvis White, and Colorado’s battered bullpen had its best showing of the homestand, allowing one run--a solo homer to Rondell White--in five innings.

Montreal battled back from a 5-1 deficit as Widger hit a solo homer leading off the fourth and Bergeron tied the game with a three-run shot into the bullpen behind right-center field.

Jose Vidro and Widger hit back-to-back homers in the fifth to take a brief lead before the Rockies chased Hermanson in the bottom half.

The home-run barrage marked the fourth time 10 homers have been hit in a game at Coors field.