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Rockies 9, Dodgers 4

DENVER (AP) -- Matt Holliday and the Colorado Rockies can only hope their streaks carry over to Petco Park.

Holliday homered again and Troy Tulowitzki also connected as the Rockies completed a four-game sweep Thursday with a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Rockies won their fifth in a row and remained 4 1/2 games behind San Diego in the NL wild-card race. The Padres beat Pittsburgh 6-3 Thursday for their seventh straight victory.

Colorado starts a three-game series at San Diego on Friday night.

"Holliday is on a tear right now and we are riding him," Tulowitzki said. "We'll need to ride him and all our boppers when we get to San Diego."

Holliday's three-run shot was his fourth homer in the last three games, and 11th homer in 12 games. He increased his career bests to 36 home runs and 131 RBIs.

"We've won five in a row, but the only problem is that San Diego has won seven in a row," Holliday said. "It's good to be playing them next because they are the team ahead of us."

Brad Hawpe drove in three runs to reach 101 RBIs and Kaz Matsui went 3-for-3 as the Rockies moved nine games over .500 for the first time since July 5, 2000.

"If you look for momentum, I don't think we could establish any more than we have the last five days," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "That being said, we've got work to do. We've gone about our business to get here from the beginning."

Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4) worked 6 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and five hits.

Derek Lowe (12-13), who had won his previous two starts, gave up six runs on eight hits and five walks in three-plus innings. He matched his previous shortest outing of the season, on July 19 against the New York Mets.

"I wasn't very good," Lowe said. "Bad things happen at Coors Field when you walk a few, let alone five. I just wasn't very good."

Andre Ethier hit a two-run homer and Andy LaRoche hit his first major league home run for the Dodgers, who lost their fifth in a row.

"These were the longest three days and four games I've been through," Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. "It was miserable right up to the very last pitch."

The Rockies left the bases loaded in the first inning, but scored six times in the second. Holliday homered into the center-field bleachers, Hawpe hit a two-run double off the right-field scoreboard and Tulowitzki doubled home a run.

"I got a pitch up in the zone and hit it hard," Holliday said. "In games like these you want to help your pitcher and get an early lead."

Lowe was pulled after walking Holliday and Todd Helton to start the fourth.

Hawpe drove in a run with an infield single off Mark Hendrickson in the sixth to make it 7-0.

The Dodgers chased Jimenez with a four-run seventh inning. Jeff Kent doubled and scored on Luis Gonzalez's groundout, and after a walk to Martin, Ethier homered.

"That was the only time I had any problems," said Jimenez, who had been roughed up for five runs in three innings in his last start against Florida. "I had my good control and kept my fastball down over the first six innings."

Matt Herges replaced Jimenez and LaRoche greeted him with a home run to cut Colorado's lead to 7-4.

The Rockies answered with Tulowitzki's two-run shot in the seventh off Jonathan Meloan.

"This is what it's all about, playing meaningful games in the last 10 days of the season," Colorado third baseman Garrett Atkins said. "This series with the Dodgers got us ready for this series in San Diego and now it's up to us to do something about it."

Game notes

Soreness in his lower back kept Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal out of the starting lineup for a third straight game. ... Lowe glared at the bleachers as Holliday circled the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning. ... C Russell Martin leaned a foot over the Los Angeles railing to catch Hawpe's foul ball in the fourth. ... Hawpe reached 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career. ... LHP Mark Redman will start Saturday for Colorado in San Diego. ... Tulowitzki's homer gives him 22 and ties him for second place all-time for home runs by a rookie shortstop with Oakland's Bobby Crosby (2004) and Ron Hansen of Baltimore (1960). Current Dodger Nomar Garciaparra (1997) hit 30 as a rookie for Boston.