Major League Baseball

Rockies 6, Athletics 6

Published Mar. 29, 2010 12:51 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Troy Tulowitzki homered for the third time in his last four games, Jorge De La Rosa gave up one run in five-plus innings and the Colorado Rockies played to a 6-6 tie against the Oakland Athletics after nine innings on Sunday.

Eric Young Jr. and Chris Iannetta both doubled and scored while Paul Lo Duca had an RBI double for the Rockies, who backed De La Rosa with three double plays to snap a two-game losing streak.

Rajai Davis had two hits, and Jake Fox homered and drove in two runs for the A's.

A notoriously slow starter in the regular season, Tulowitzki has been swinging the bat solidly heading into the final week of spring training. He hit a solo home run off San Diego's Kevin Correia on Tuesday then added a three-run shot against Cincinnati's Aaron Harang two days later before connecting off Oakland's Brett Anderson.

The three-run home run, Tulowitzki's fourth overall this spring, easily cleared the 10-foot wall in left and also sailed over a 20-foot high billboard attached to the wall.

A lifetime .244 hitter in April, Tulowitzki batted .200 in the opening month of the 2009 season but finished the year with a .297 average, 32 home runs and 92 RBIs.

``The only thing that feels different is I know what I'm doing with my swing,'' said Tulowitzki, who is batting .359 this spring. ``By the same token if my April is slow I know I can rebound. I've done that for two years now.''

De La Rosa is also showing off a newly discovered patience on the mound. It helped him against the A's when he labored at times before getting bailed out by his defense.

``Now I know when I don't have my best stuff that I can still pitch,'' said De La Rosa, who scattered seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk. ``Before, when I had a bad game I would think the next game was going to be bad, too. Now I go game to game. I'm a much better pitcher than years ago.''

De La Rosa pitched into the sixth for the second straight start and pitched with runners on base every inning but limited the damage thanks to the Rockies' defense, which turned double plays in the first, fourth and fifth. The only problem came in the third when Fox hit a one-out home run.

Anderson wasn't as fortunate. The A's left-hander, who missed his last start because of a stiff neck and instead pitched five simulated innings to minor leaguers, struggled with his command and acknowledged having a lack of focus while giving up eight hits and six earned runs.

``I thought he actually had pretty good stuff,'' Oakland manager Bob Geren said. ``They got a couple of hits off his changeup, which he's still perfecting. I don't want him to get down on that pitch right now.''

The Rockies led 6-1 before Oakland scored once in the seventh and four times in the eighth to tie the game.

NOTES: The tie was the third this spring for the A's. The Rockies have tied twice. ... Colorado LHP Justin Beimel, who signed a minor league contract with the team last week, will pitch for the big league club Monday against Texas. Beimel was 1-6 with a 3.58 ERA while playing for Colorado and Washington last season. ... Oakland batters have been hit 16 times this spring, tops in the majors. 2B Adam Rosales was plunked by De La Rosa in the second. ... Colorado closer Huston Street said he will try to throw through the shoulder stiffness problem that have sidelined him this spring and hopes to join the Rockies' active roster by the end of April. ... Hall of Fame reliever and former A's star Rollie Fingers threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball