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DENVER >> Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle doesn't always like to let numbers dictate who he puts in the lineup. Benny Agbayani's were just too good to leave him out. Benny’s back
in grand fashionAssociated Press
Agbayani came off the disabled list and hit a grand slam, and Jason Jennings won his sixth straight decision as the Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-6 yesterday.
Agbayani, who had been out since May 12 with a strained right hamstring, entered the game 9-for-19 with two homers and four RBIs against Dodgers starter Omar Daal.
The St. Louis School and Hawaii Pacific University product opened with a single off Daal in the second inning, then hit a grand slam in the fourth to put the Rockies up 4-2. He finished 2-for-3 before being replaced by Todd Hollandsworth in the seventh inning.
"Sometimes you don't want to be a slave to numbers, but we were looking at them and playing with them the other day," Hurdle said. "I figured if I don't have him back and don't at least give him a shot I would kick myself. Obviously, he didn't disappoint."
It was his second career grand slam, but first in the United States. Agbayani's previous slam came on March 30, 2000, against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo while he was playing for the New York Mets.
"In that situation you don't want to try and do too much," Agbayani said. "The worst scenario I could have done was pop it up or grounded out. It would have just killed the rally right there. I was looking for something to drive out to the outfield."
Los Angeles won the first two games of the series by scoring 15 runs in the final two innings. The Dodgers nearly pulled it off again yesterday with three runs in the eighth, but came up just short to end a four-game winning streak.
In the eighth, Los Angeles' Mark Grudzielanek hit a two-run single that bounced off pitcher Kent Mercker's hand into right, then Chad Kreuter made it 7-6 with a sacrifice fly off Jose Jimenez.
Paul Lo Duca added a single to put runners at first and second, but Jimenez struck out Dave Hansen and got Alex Cora to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Mercker had to leave the game after Grudzielanek's hit split the webbing next to his left index finger. The cut was severe enough that he was scheduled for surgery last night.
The Rockies ended a 16-game stretch against the National League West 11-5.
"If you would have told me we would have ended up 11-5, I would have given a body part up. A small body part, but I'd have given up a body part for it," Hurdle said.
Rockies 8, Dodgers 6
Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg. DRoberts cf 4 1 3 0 0 0 .321 c-Hansen ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .195 Mota p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Cora ss 5 1 2 1 0 0 .315 ShGreen rf 5 0 1 1 0 0 .278 Karros 1b 5 1 1 0 0 2 .310 Beltre 3b 5 2 3 0 0 0 .264 Grissom lf-cf 3 1 1 0 0 1 .282 Grudzielanek 2b 4 0 1 2 0 0 .242 Kreuter c 3 0 1 2 0 0 .213 Daal p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000 a-Reboulet ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .240 Mulholland p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-Lo Duca ph-lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .307 Totals 39 6 14 6 0 5
Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Pierre cf 5 0 1 0 0 0 .285 Uribe ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .264 LWalker rf 3 3 2 0 1 1 .319 Helton 1b 4 2 3 3 0 0 .344 Zeile 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .304 JJimenez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Shumpert 2b 3 2 1 0 1 0 .263 Agbayani lf 3 1 2 4 0 0 .236 Hollandsworth lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .292 Bennett c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .218 JJennings p 2 0 0 0 1 0 .250 Mercker p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Butler 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333 Totals 34 8 9 7 3 3
Los Angeles 011 000 130 -- 6 14 1 Colorado 000 420 11x -- 8 9 0 a-flied out for Daal in the 7th. b-singled for Mulholland in the 8th. c-struck out for Roberts in the 8th.
E--Cora (3). LOB--Los Angeles 8, Colorado 5. 2B--Cora 2 (3), Helton (15), Shumpert (5). HR--Helton (15) off Daal; Agbayani (3) off Daal. RBIs--Cora (6), ShGreen (41), Grudzielanek 2 (21), Kreuter 2 (7), Helton 3 (55), Agbayani 4 (14). SF--Kreuter. GIDP--Grudzielanek.
Runners left in scoring position--Los Angeles 3 (Cora, ShGreen, Karros); Colorado 1 (Zeile). Runners moved up--Cora, ShGreen, Bennett.
DP--Colorado 1 (Zeile, Shumpert and Helton).
Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Daal L, 4-2 6 6 6 6 3 2 93 2.72 Mulholland 1 2 1 1 0 0 16 10.66 Mota 1 1 1 0 0 1 15 2.57
Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA JJennings W, 7-2 6 2/3 10 3 3 0 4 106 4.63 Mercker 1/3 3 3 3 0 0 13 4.13 JJimenez S, 16 2 1 0 0 0 1 25 2.10 Mercker pitched to 4 batters in the 8th.
Inherited runners-scored--JJimenez 2-1, Mercker 1-0. HBP--by Mercker (Grissom).
Umpires--Home, Mike Reilly; First, Jeff Kellogg; Second, Jerry Meals; Third, Eric Cooper.
T--2:50. A--31,793 (50,449).