Lowe beats Rockies as Dodgers win sixth straight

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Out of the bullpen, in the rotation or at the plate. Derek Lowe wants to help the Los Angeles Dodgers win anyway he can.

Lowe came back from a rare relief appearance earlier in the week to earn his 13th victory Friday night in a 6-3 win over Colorado, Los Angeles' sixth in a row.

He also scored the Dodgers' first run.

"We've pressed him the last four or five days," Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. "He knows he's at the top of his game and he's proving it by going out and getting wins for us."

Lowe (13-8) gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings, walking three and striking out one. He singled sharply to center and scored in the third inning against Jason Jennings (7-12).

"It's the time when wins are wins, however you get them," the Dodgers' right-hander said. "Our bullpen did a fantastic job. It seems like every day, somebody different steps up."

Offensively, it was Wilson Betemit, who hit a solo homer in the eighth and had an RBI double. Rafael Furcal added a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single.

The victory increased the Dodgers' NL West lead to four games over San Diego, beaten 6-2 by Cincinnati.

"You can't get excited about a four-game lead at this point, but we like our position," Lowe said.

He went three innings and picked up the win in a 6-5, 16-inning victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday, allowing one hit and throwing 22 pitches. The relief appearance was his first in the regular season since 2001.

He threw 82 pitches during his five innings against the Rockies.

In his previous start, last Saturday in Arizona, the right-hander had to leave after 3 2-3 innings when a line drive by Chad Tracy struck him on his left hand.

Los Angeles fell behind the Rockies, but came back to go up 4-3 with three runs in the fourth inning.

Betemit doubled to right to score Jeff Kent from second and move Andre Ethier to third. Ethier then scored on a wild pitch by Jennings, with Betemit taking third. Betemit scored shortly afterward on Furcal's sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers added an insurance run in the sixth on consecutive singles by Russell Martin, pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson and Furcal. Anderson was making his Dodgers debut following Thursday night's trade from Washington.

Takashi Saito pitched the ninth for his 17th save in 19 chances.

Jennings gave up five runs on eight hits in six innings.

"We scored three runs, we needed a shutdown inning and we weren't able to get it," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said.

He said the sequence that got Jennings in trouble in the third -- a walk to Ethier after Jeff Kent's single to center and a pitch over the plate to Betemit -- wasn't characteristic of the Rockies' right-hander.

"He's been nails for us for two months, and it's probably one of the few leads he's had that he's given up," Hurdle said.

Kenny Lofton provided the Dodgers' first run, doubling in Lowe.

The Rockies built a short-lived 3-1 lead against Lowe in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Ryan Spilborghs and Troy Tulowitzki's ground-scoring double.

Game notes
The Dodgers honored Don Newcombe in a pregame ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of his 1956 season, when he won the inaugural NL Cy Young Award and the league's MVP Award with the team in Brooklyn. He's the only player in major league history to win those two awards and the Rookie of the Year Award. ... Los Angeles recalled OF Matt Kemp, INF James Loney from Triple-A Las Vegas and purchased the contract of C Elnar Diaz from Las Vegas. ... The Rockies recalled 3B Vinny Castilla from Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 39-year-old Castilla rejoined the Rockies by signing a minor-league contract on Aug. 14. He previously played for them from 1993-1996 and again in 2004. He plans to retire as a player and remain in the organization in an undetermined capacity.