Rockies maintain run with 19-4 win over Brewers

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Colorado Rockies pounded out a season-high 23 hits to crush the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 19-4 on Wednesday.

The hard-hitting Rockies tied a franchise record with 11 extra-base hits and had season bests for hits and runs in moving into third place in the NL West with their third straight win.

The slumping Brewers suffered a fourth consecutive game.

"Today's like one of those snowball days where it just keep going and hits keep coming," Colorado outfielder Ryan Spilborghs told reporters. "We're almost fighting each other to get to the bat rack on days like this."

Third baseman Garrett Atkins went 4-for-4 and equaled a personal best by driving in six runs.

He had run-scoring doubles in the first and fourth innings, singled home one run in the second and two in the third and had a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

"It just seemed like you'd turn your head, look away and get a glass of water and then hear a loud crack and someone else was rounding first, heading to second," Atkins told reporters.

The Rockies sent 10 batters to the plate in both the second and fourth innings, scoring seven runs in the second and five in the fourth.

The victory was their eighth in 11 games and they are a Major League-best 21-5 at home since June 2.

"They hit good pitches, they hit bad pitches," Milwaukee catcher Damian Miller told reporters.

"That's a good hitting team and when you make mistakes, they make you pay."

*Barry Bonds wasted little time in adding to his Major League home run record, hitting number 757 in the first inning of the Giants's 5-0 home victory over the Washington Nationals.

*Ken Griffey Jr's third-inning single led the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 home win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost their sixth straight.

The shutout was the third in a row for the Dodgers, the first time that has happened since 1966.

Red starter Aaron Harang held Los Angeles to four hits while striking out eight in eight innings.

*Moises Alou homered in the eighth inning and Billy Wagner pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth as the New York Mets held off the Atlanta Braves 4-3.