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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
DENVER (AP) -- Given the chance to play through a slump, Todd
Walker nearly hit his way into the record book.
Walker drove in three runs and fell a single short of the cycle,
and rookie Juan Pierre went 5-for-5 Monday as the Colorado Rockies
beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2.
|  | | Rockies rookie Juan Pierre had a perfect game -- at the plate. Pierre was 5-for-5 in a 6-2 win over the Cubs. |
After falling out of favor in Minnesota, Walker has shined since
his trade to Colorado. Despite Walker's recent 0-for-10 slide,
Rockies manager Buddy Bell stuck with the second baseman, and
Walker responded with a total of five hits Sunday and Monday.
Walker, banished to Triple-A by Minnesota in May, said he
probably would have been on the bench if he were still playing for
the Twins.
"Without harping on it too much, there's no way I would have
played on Sunday going 0-for-10, regardless of how you did it,"
Walker said. "I felt like I've been swinging the bat pretty
decent. I just wasn't getting any hits."
Walker and Todd Hollandsworth each homered for the Rockies,
while Colorado's most prominent Todd -- Todd Helton -- was 0-for-4,
dropping his major league-leading average to .387.
Helton was hitting .397 a week ago but is 3-for-20 in the last
six games. He also continued to struggle against the Cubs; he is
2-for-26 against Chicago this season.
"He has set the standard so high, you almost expect him to get
a hit every time up," Bell said. "He's going to snap out of it. I
don't think he's pressing."
Even without Helton contributing, Brian Rose (3-2) got enough
offensive support and held the Cubs to two runs and seven hits in
seven innings. He walked three and had a career-high seven
strikeouts.
"Nothing in particular worked today," Rose said. "I had a
decent fastball, and I tried to use that a little more than I used
to. I need to work on that, but my breaking pitches are there."
Chicago starter Jon Lieber (12-8) gave up four runs and seven
hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked three as the
Cubs lost their fifth straight and fell to 8-23 in their last 31
games.
Chicago has scored two runs in each of its last four games.
"Run production has been thin," manager Don Baylor said. "We
have a pitcher going for his 13th win and we don't score for him.
We just shut it down. We don't score any more and it's like, 'Let's
get out of here.' "
The Cubs led 2-1 before the Rockies took the lead on consecutive
run-scoring singles by Pierre and Neifi Perez with two outs in the
fifth. Walker added a homer in the sixth and a two-run double in
the seventh.
Walker, who flew out in the second and tripled in the fourth,
didn't come to the plate again after his double, missing out on a
chance to become the fifth player in Colorado history to hit for
the cycle.
"I'm not overly concerned about the cycle or anything else,"
Walker said. "After (Sunday's) game, we felt like we should have
won. It was good to come out and get a win."
Pierre, who is hitting .356 in his first 28 major league games,
made up for Walker's missing single, tying a team record with five.
Three came against fellow South Alabama alumnus Lieber.
"I knew him from alumni events," Lieber said. "I have to tip my
cap to him. He was a tough out."
Hollandsworth hit a solo homer off Lieber to give Colorado a 1-0
lead in the second. It was his first hit in seven at-bats against
Lieber and his third home run in four games.
Eric Young's RBI single tied the game in the third, and Ross
Gload's first major league hit, a solo homer, gave the Cubs the
lead in the fourth.
"I was just excited to run the bases," Gload said. "I hit my
first home run at Coors Field, and I'm just glad to get the first
one out of the way."
Game notes
Young stole his 45th base of the season in the third. He
has been successful on his last 19 attempts. ... Colorado has hit
at least one home run in all 32 games against Chicago at Coors
Field. ... Cubs OF Sammy Sosa robbed Jeff Cirillo of a home run in
the second, catching the ball about a foot above the top of the
right-field wall.
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Baseball Scoreboard
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
Colorado Clubhouse
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Boston 5
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