Tulowitzki, Rockies rebound from long night in San Diego with easy win

HOUSTON (AP) -- A quick nap was all Troy Tulowitzki needed to bounce back from Thursday night's 22-inning marathon in San Diego.

Tulowitzki had two doubles and three RBIs, Garrett Atkins had an RBI single and a two-run homer and the Rockies beat the Houston Astros 11-5 less than 20 hours after winning a 22-inning marathon over the Padres.

Jeff Baker and Chris Iannetta had two RBIs apiece as Colorado won in Minute Maid Park for just the third time in its last 14 games here.

The Rockies arrived in Houston about 8:30 a.m. Friday after beating the Padres 2-1 in a game that lasted over six hours and ended about 3:30 a.m. Texas time. Colorado's team bus got caught in morning rush-hour traffic heading to the team hotel.

Tulowitzki went straight to bed once he arrived and the few hours of sleep did the trick.

"Honestly, once the adrenalin got going, once the game started, I felt fine," he said. "I didn't know what to expect. Obviously, we're all pretty tired and we're still trying to get our legs under us. But the guys did a good job today."

The Astros were the ones who looked sluggish, mustering only three hits after scoring four in the first inning off starter Franklin Morales (1-1). Morales gave up five hits with two strikeouts and four walks in five innings. Colorado's bullpen, a night after pitching 15 innings, gave up only two hits over the last four innings.

"We went pretty quiet after the first inning," said Houston manager Cecil Cooper. "We just didn't put anything together after that."

Houston starter Chris Sampson (0-2) was pulled in the first inning after giving up six runs and six hits. Brian Moehler pitched two good innings in relief of Sampson before giving up three runs in the fourth.

The Rockies finished with 12 hits and topped 10 runs for the fourth time in eight games. Colorado manager Clint Hurdle rested regulars Todd Helton, Matt Holliday and catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who played all 22 innings in Thursday's game.

"The guys who were tired didn't play," Hurdle said. "It was good to give the guys time down, they needed the time down."

The remaining lineup looked just fine. Colorado loaded the bases with its first three hitters as Sampson gave up a walk and two singles.

Atkins struck out, but Tulowitzki's two-run double to the left-field corner to put Colorado up 2-0. Baker followed with a two-run single, prompting a mound visit from Houston pitching coach Dewey Robinson.

"He just couldn't the ball down. He was just up in the zone," Cooper said of Sampson. "That first inning, he only made three quality pitches and they all came to one guy, Atkins."

Clint Barmes singled before Iannetta doubled to left-center to make it 6-0. Morales grounded out, but Scott Podsednik walked for the second time in the inning and manager Cecil Cooper brought in Moehler. Former Astro Willy Taveras flew out on Moehler's first pitch.

Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence had RBI doubles in Houston's four-run first. Pence, who came into the game batting .161, went 3-for-4 in the game and scored two runs.

"It was a good thing for me to finally feel comfortable in the box," Pence said. "That should help me get going now. But for the team, we've got to get some wins. Hopefully, I can start contributing."

Moehler retired eight of 10 batters before the Rockies added to their lead in the fourth.

Ryan Spilborghs singled, stole second and scored on Atkins' single to center for a 7-4 lead. Tulowitzki and Barmes added RBI doubles before Cooper replaced Moehler with Dave Borkowski.

Morales allowed only one hit over his last four innings and retired the last seven batters he faced.

Hurdle said that the longer Morales waits between pitches, the more ineffective he becomes. Morales picked up the pace after the first inning.

"We challenged him to get the ball, get the sign and pitch and pick up the tempo. He did that," Hurdle said. "Conversely, you saw a more dynamic arm than what we've seen in the past. He was letting it go."

Atkins hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Astros reliever Wesley Wright. Mark Loretta had an RBI double off Micah Bowie in the Astros eighth.

Game notes
2B Kazuo Matsui, who played for Colorado last year, was activated from the disabled list and went 0-for-3 in his first start for the Astros. He bobbled a grounder in the second inning, the Astros' sixth error of the season. To make room for Matsui on the roster, the Astros designated C Humberto Quintero for assignment. ... Pence had his first multi-hit game since April 2. ... The Rockies have not allowed a home run in five straight games.