Drought Ends for Rockies in Win Over A’s

DENVER â€”  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.