Rockies bury Cards with early avalanche

Colorado builds nine-run lead early, wins 9-4.

By John Mossman ~ The Associated Press

DENVER -- Larry Walker and Preston Wilson each drove in three runs, and the Colorado Rockies built a big early lead Wednesday night in a 9-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wilson and Bobby Estalella each hit two-run homers as Colorado opened a 9-0 lead after three innings.

Nelson Cruz (2-0), making his second straight start because of injuries to Denny Neagle and Denny Stark, went six-plus innings for the Rockies, allowing two runs and five hits before he was ejected.

Cruz was tossed in the seventh by plate umpire Mike DiMuro after hitting Tino Martinez with a pitch. Cruz plunked Jim Edmonds earlier, and DiMuro issued a warning to both benches after Brett Tomko threw a pitch behind Todd Helton in the third.

Tomko (0-1) gave up nine runs on nine hits in six innings. Edgar Renteria hit a three-run double for St. Louis, and Scott Rolen added a solo homer.

The Rockies got to Tomko early, scoring four runs in the first inning and five in the third.

Helton and Walker had back-to-back RBI doubles in the first, and Wilson followed with a 445-foot homer to right-center, his first of the season.

Jay Payton led off the third with a single and Helton walked. Walker, a three-time NL batting champion who entered hitting just .172, drove a two-run triple to right-center. Wilson hit an RBI double over the head of left fielder Albert Pujols, and Estalella hit his third homer of the season, a 438-foot shot to left-center.

Rolen made it 9-1 with a homer in the fourth, his second.

Cruz departed after his pitch hit Martinez, who led off the seventh, and the Cardinals went on to score three runs on Renteria's bases-loaded double off Brian Fuentes.