Rockies Find New Source For Power

Despite striking out twice against Curt Schilling, Todd Hollandsworth said he felt confident as he stepped to the plate in the sixth inning.

By the time he circled the bases two hours later, the strikeouts were a distant memory, erased by an impressive five-inning power display that only added to the hitters’ haven that is Coors Field.

Hollandsworth hit his first three home runs of the season, including a three-run shot in the 10th inning off Arizona closer Matt Mantei, to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 10-7 victory Sunday over the Diamondbacks at Denver.

“I know I punched out twice, but I really didn’t feel that bad after those two at-bats,” Hollandsworth said. “You have strikeouts where you don’t know this from that, you’re a little upside-down and you’re fouling balls off your foot. But I felt I was right there. I felt like I was close.”

Hollandsworth, who also hit two-run homers in the sixth and eighth, finished three for five with a career-high seven runs batted in. His first career three-homer game and fourth multihomer game came just in time for the Rockies, who used all 13 position players.

“I was brought out there to get us out of that inning, and I didn’t get it done,” said Mantei, whose career earned-run average at Coors Field is 15.26. “It happens. He beat me with my best pitch. It wasn’t a bad pitch, either.”

Cincinnati 3, New York 1--Jim Brower gave up one unearned run in 5 2/3 strong innings to earn his first National League victory and help the Reds complete a three-game sweep of the Mets at New York.

Brower, recalled from triple-A Louisville before the game, gave up six hits, struck out four and walked two as the Reds won their fourth in a row.

Brower (1-0) was acquired from Cleveland in November and started in place of Elmer Dessens, who was home in Cincinnati to be with his ill wife.

Chicago 5, Pittsburgh 1--Sammy Sosa hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning at Chicago to complete a sweep of the Pirates and help the Cubs win their fifth consecutive game.

Bill Mueller singled and Roosevelt Brown walked in the seventh against reliever Scott Sauerbeck (0-1). Marc Wilkins came in to face Sosa, who sent a 3-and-2 pitch high over the left-field fence for his fifth homer of the season.

It was Sosa’s 199th career home run at Wrigley Field and first since Sept. 10.

Atlanta 3, Philadelphia 0--Odalis Perez won his first game in nearly two years, and Brian Jordan and Andruw Jones each hit home runs at Atlanta.

Perez, whose last victory was against Tampa Bay on June 8, 1999, gave up four hits and three walks in seven innings while striking out four.

The 22-year-old is coming off elbow reconstruction surgery that sidelined him the final two months of the 1999 season and all of last year.

Milwaukee 7, San Francisco 4--Jeffrey Hammonds hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning off Russ Ortiz to lead the Brewers past the Giants at Milwaukee.

Barry Bonds hit his 499th career home run in the eighth inning off David Weathers and needs one more to become the 17th player to reach 500.

A crowd of 25,981 attended the game at Miller Park, about 16,000 short of capacity and the third-smallest for the nine games at the Brewers’ new retractable-roof ballpark.

St. Louis 6, Houston 5--J.D. Drew hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning to help the Cardinals end a three-game losing streak at St. Louis.

Pitcher Andy Benes hit a three-run double and rookie Albert Pujols had three hits to extend his hitting streak to nine games for St. Louis, which avoided a three-game sweep.

Florida 6, Montreal 3--Marlin pitcher Jason Grilli hit his first major league homer and threw five shutout innings before tiring as he beat the Expos at Montreal.

Making just his third career start and second this season, Grilli (1-1) gave up two hits in the first five innings, striking out the side in order in the fifth. He homered in the third off Tony Armas Jr. (0-3).