According to the numbers the Rockies were supposed to just roll over and die last night. They came into Thursday’s game at Busch Stadium just 5-31 on the road. The Cardinals are 25-15 at home, but none of the numbers seemed to matter in a 7-0 win for Colorado. Jeff Suppan, who took a two-hitter into the ninth inning in his last start, was battered by the Rockies, allowing four runs off nine hits and two walks over four complete innings.
Garrett Atkins hit a solo home run in the second inning to break a scoreless tie. In the third Danny Ardoin also hit a homer with no one on to give the Rockies a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, Suppan walked Preston Wilson with the bases loaded for the Rockies’ third run.
In the fifth, things got ugly for Suppan and he left without recording an out. Suppan gave up a ground-rule double to pitcher Jeff Francis and a single to Cory Sullivan. Miles drove in Francis with a single and Suppan’s night was over. Cal Eldred replaced him and got Todd Helton to ground into a double play, but the Rockies weren’t done. Preston Wilson walked and Atkins drove in his second runs of the game with a single to score Sullivan. The Cardinals trailed 5-0 by the time the fifth inning came to a close.
The other Luis Gonzalez, added insult to injury with a two run single in the eighth inning to give Colorado a 7-0 lead.
Suppan got the loss and dropped to 7-7 on the season. Francis held the Cardinals to three hits and no runs over six innings of work to improve to 7-5.
