Major League Baseball

Diamondbacks 7, Rockies 0

Published Jul. 25, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Justin Upton broke his bat and still tripled off the top of the right field fence, inches shy from a home run.

For sure, the young Arizona slugger is in one of those ''zones.''

Upton went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs, and the Diamondbacks took two of three from Colorado with a 7-0 victory on Sunday in what might have been Ubaldo Jimenez's last start for the Rockies.

Upton, who reached base five times in the contest, is 7-for-9 with nine RBIs in his last two games.

''There's a lot that goes in to baseball,'' he said. ''You have your good times and you have your bad times. That's just the way the game goes. I've been able to stay positive, and see the ball and hit the ball.''

The Diamondbacks, finishing a 6-4 home stand, scored five times on eight hits in five innings against Jimenez (6-9), reportedly available for the right offer before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

''It doesn't affect me,'' he said of the trade talk. ''I know it's time for the rumors and there are going to be rumors. I will just try to go to the stadium and do my thing. Every time I try to get hitters out and what's going to happen is going to happen. You never know, but I am ready for whatever.''

Micah Owings (4-0), given his chance as the Diamondbacks search for a reliable fifth starter, blanked the Rockies on two hits through five innings, striking out two and walking three. He also had an RBI single.

Manager Kirk Gibson indicated Owings will stay on as the team's fifth starter, for now.

''I think he'll probably get another start,'' the manager said. ''Why wouldn't he?''

Arizona outscored Colorado 19-3 in the last two games of the series.

Xavier Nady had two singles and scored three times for Arizona, which remained four games behind first-place San Francisco in the NL West.

Zach Duke, who had lost the No. 5 spot in the rotation, gave up three hits in four innings in relief of Owings for his first career save.

Upton, who brought his average up to .301, doubled in two runs in the third and tripled in another in the fifth, in what he said was ''by far'' the farthest he'd ever hit a ball and broke his bat.

He had matched his career best with six RBIs in Arizona's 12-3 victory Saturday night, including his second career grand slam.

A month shy of his 24th birthday, Upton said he has learned to deal with the highs and lows of the game.

''You just have to be more mature about the game and understand that things are going to happen,'' he said. ''You're not going to be great all the time - just sticking with it and continuing to do what you do.''

Jimenez, who lost to the Diamondbacks three starts earlier, breezed through the first 2 2-3 innings, striking out the first two he faced in the third. But Willie Bloomquist and Nady singled, then Upton doubled down the right field line to bring both runners home to make it 2-0.

The Diamondbacks scored another two-out run in the fourth. Miguel Montero led off with a single, then after two flyouts to center, Brandon Allen walked to bring up Owings, whose RBI single up the middle put Arizona up 3-0.

Nady led off the fifth with a single, then Upton's triple put Arizona ahead 4-0. Chris Young became the first of three Diamondbacks to be hit by a pitch. With the infield in, Sean Burroughs hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Jonathan Herrera, who threw home for what appeared to be a sure out. But Upton evaded the tag with a head-first slide and the Diamondbacks led 5-0.

Arizona got two more in the sixth off reliever Matt Belisle. Nady was hit by a pitch, then Upton doubled to put runners at second and third. Young followed with an RBI single, then another run scored when Herrera made a diving stop Montero's grounder and flipped to second for the force, but Burroughs barely beat out the double play.

Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson was out of the lineup for the second game in a row because of a strained right calf. Right fielder Gerardo Parra sat out after being hit in the left wrist by a pitch Saturday night.

NOTES: Gibson said closer J.J. Putz would be activated from the DL in time for Tuesday's game at San Diego, and young Ryan Cook would be sent down to Triple-A Reno. ... Arizona embarks on a nine-game all-California road trip, beginning Tuesday, with stops San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. ... Geoff Blum, only recently activated for the first time this season, started at 3B for Arizona but left after two innings because of a broken right pinkie finger. ... The Rockies are 3-10 in finales of three-game series this season, 1-5 on the road.

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