Rising Rockies strike a rich seam of form

Baseball

Baseball

The Colorado Rockies secured their sixth successive win with a 12-2 pounding of the Atlanta Braves 12-2 on Tuesday and remain one game ahead of the Los Angles Dodgers at the top of the Western Division.

The Rockies' target is a place in the play-offs. "Every game for us is important," said Vinny Castilla, Tuesday's outstanding player.

The New York Yankees stayed at the head of the American League wild card race by beating the Cleveland Indians 9-2. Scott Kamieniecki and four relievers combined on a seven-hitter as the Yankees won for the 13th time in 15 games and remained a half game ahead of Seattle for the wild card. The Yankees have beaten the Indians four times in a row and limited the best offence in the American League to two runs and 11 hits over the last two games.

"He [Kamieniecki] kept his composure well in pressure situations and he kept us in the game when we were down 2-1," the Yankees manager, Buck Showalter, said. "If you can keep these guys in the ballpark, you have to like your chances of winning."

"We always play well against them, we take it as a challenge," Kamieniecki said. "You always want to play the best. It brings out the best in you. We feel we can control our destiny."

In Seattle, the Mariners routed the Minnesota Twins 14-3 for their fourth win in five games.

Jay Buhner hit a three-run homer, his 32nd, in the first and added a solo shot in the seventh. He has six homers in his last eight games and has driven in 24 runs in his last 17. Tino Martinez joined Buhner and Edgar Martinez with 100 runs batted in as the Mariners became the third team in 13 years to have three players with 100.