The curse of Alan Johnson has come to an end for the Colorado Rockies. For the last 17 Sundays, the Rockies have lost the day's game. Johnson, making a spot start for his major league debut, pitched in that day's victory. It hasn't been a good few months for the Rockies on Sunday since then--until this Sunday.
The Rockies picked up the 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on the strength of a Kevin Millwood start and a couple of home runs. Millwood (1-1, 4.50 ERA) threw seven innings, allowing three runs on a solo homer and an RBI double to James Loney and a Matt Kemp RBI double. Millwood also came up with a catch on a line drive up the middle to help preserve the game.
The Rockies surprisingly scored their five runs on just three hits, a first in franchise history. Carlos Gonzalez hit his 21st home run in the bottom of the first for the 2-0 lead; however, Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (10-10, 4.12 ERA) shut down the Rockies for the next 11 batters before issuing a leadoff walk to Seth Smith in the bottom of the fifth.
Billingsley issued two more walks over the next two innings, but didn't allow another hit until Seth Smith hit his 14th homer of the season, a two-run shot to put the Rockies back in the lead, 4-3. Troy Tulowitzki added a sacrifice fly in the eighth for cushioning.
Chris Nelson came up with a nice defensive grab at third base in the eighth inning, preventing a game-tying RBI double.
The Rockies (60-68, 32-33 home) stay at Coors Field to start the week, hosting the Houston Astros for three games. Brett Myers and Jhoulys Chacin are the scheduled starters for Monday.
For more on the Rockies, head over to Purple Row. Visit True Blue LA and SB Nation Los Angeles for more on the Dodgers.