Major League Baseball

Rockies 8, Astros 6

Published Aug. 24, 2011 6:14 a.m. ET

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Seth Smith's tape-measure drive gave the Colorado Rockies something to talk about. Jonathan Herrera's homer gave them a victory.

Smith and Herrera each hit a two-run shot and the Rockies beat the Houston Astros 8-6 on Tuesday night.

Herrera, making just his fourth start in August, hit a line drive into the right-field seats off reliever Fernando Rodriguez (2-2) to break a seventh-inning tie.

''As soon as I hit the ball I knew it was over the fence,'' Herrera said. ''Everybody knows the type of player I am. I'm not supposed to hit homers. I was looking for a good pitch, trying to put a ball in the hole and put pressure on the defense.''

It was Herrera's third homer and first since May 12, a span of 156 at-bats.

The Rockies are accustomed to Smith hitting home runs, but not like the one he smashed in the fifth. Smith smacked a 1-0 pitch off the facing of the upper deck in right-center for a drive estimated at 478 feet. It was his 15th of the year.

''I don't know numbers but I've never hit a ball that's hit there before,'' Smith said.

Rex Brothers pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first major league save for Colorado, which has won four straight for the first time since June 14-18.

Jimmy Paredes and Carlos Lee homered for the Astros, who have lost three in a row.

''You get tired of watching teams come back and score runs to beat us,'' Lee said. ''Watching teams get some big hits and having us come back and then not get the big hit at the end of games ...

''It's never easy to have these games. At this level, nothing easy.''

The Astros tied it at 6 against reliever Matt Belisle (8-4) on Jordan Schafer's RBI single in the seventh. Colorado took a 6-5 lead in the sixth on Carlos Gonzalez's RBI single.

Smith made it 5-3 with his homer. Paredes answered with a two-run homer, his second, off starter Alex White in the sixth to tie it.

White, one of four players acquired from Cleveland in the trade that sent Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians last month, struggled in his Colorado debut. He allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked one in six innings.

''Both the home runs were bad pitches,'' White said. ''They would have been gone in any park.''

It was White's first start since May 20. He was on the 60-day disabled list with a torn tendon in his right middle finger and was activated before the game.

Despite the homers, White's outing impressed manager Jim Tracy.

''The numbers don't indicate the job he did,'' Tracy said.

The Astros took a 3-2 lead against White in the third on RBI singles by Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez, but the rookie limited the damage by getting Brian Bogusevic to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.

''It could have been worse with the bases loaded and one out, but we got a groundball right there,'' White said. ''Anytime you give up five runs and your team still wins, I'll take that.''

Colorado tied it in the bottom half when Gonzalez scored on pitcher Bud Norris' fielding error at first base.

Norris gave up five runs, four earned, on six hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked four.

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the first on Troy Tulowitzki's RBI single and Todd Helton's sacrifice fly.

Lee cut the deficit in half with a leadoff homer in the second. It was his 12th of the year.

NOTES: Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 11 games and has at least one RBI in eight straight games. ... Astros reliever Wesley Wright played right field for one batter in the eighth inning between facing the first and third hitters. It was the first time in his career he has played a position other than pitcher. ... The Rockies will go for a sweep Wednesday with Aaron Cook on the mound. Cook earned his first win at Coors Field this season in his last outing. The Astros will counter with lefty Wandy Rodriguez, who will be making his 200th career appearance.

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