Rockies win fifth in six games By TOM SALADINO, AP Sports Writer

Rockies win fifth in six games By TOM SALADINO, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 48 minutes ago



ATLANTA - Garrett Atkins hit a three-run home run to back Jeff Francis and the Colorado Rockies beat the Atlanta Braves 9-2 on Friday night.

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Francis (12-5) allowed a run and six hits in six innings. The left-hander, who has won seven straight decisions, didn't walk any and struck out eight. He's 7-0 in his last 10 starts and 11-1 in his last 17 starts.

Kazuo Matsui went 3-for-5 and scored three runs for the Rockies.

Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run in the ninth, his third in three games since being traded to Atlanta from Texas.

The Rockies, who have won five of six, moved a season-high four games over .500 (56-52) for the first time since finishing a sweep of the New York Yankees on June 21, before going on a 1-9 road trip.

Colorado scored two unearned runs in the opening inning off John Smoltz (10-6) when Teixeira booted a two-out, bases loaded grounder off the bat of Brad Hawpe, scoring Willy Tavaras, who doubled and Matsui, who had singled.

Colorado added two more runs in the second on a two-out double by Matt Holliday, scoring Matsui and Yorvit Torrealba, who reached on singles, for a 4-0 lead.

The three-run homer by Atkins in the seventh made it 7-1 and ended the night for Smoltz. Atkins went 3-for-5, including a double in the third and a single in the ninth.

Troy Tulowitzki added a two-run single in the ninth.

Smoltz allowed seven runs — five earned — and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out five.

The cooled-off Braves, losers of two in a row after winning three, had scored in double figures in their previous four games, getting 49 runs on 68 hits.

The Braves run off Francis came after Chipper Jones doubled to open the fourth and went to third on a single by Teixeira. Andruw Jones then hit into a double play, scoring Chipper Jones.

Notes:@ Atkins has 14 RBI in his last 11 games and 70 on the season. ... Braves SS Edgar Renteria was placed on the 15-day DL after spraining his right ankle in the eighth inning of Thursday night's 12-11, 14 inning loss to Houston on a one-hop liner by Ty Wigginton. He was hitting .336 with 11 homers and 53 RBI. He was replaced by rookie Yunel Escobar. ... The Braves signed former major league pitcher Ryan Drese to a minor league contract. He had a 34-39 record and 5.31 ERA in parts of six seasons with Cleveland, Texas and Washington. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April, 2006. ... Smoltz got career strikeout 2,900, fanning Holliday for his fifth of the game.