PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Larry Walker homered twice and Preston Wilson added a solo shot to support a strong start from Nelson Cruz as the Colorado Rockies held on for a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Walker notched his 27th career multi-homer game and delivered the game's big blow with a three-run blast with two outs in the seventh inning off rookie Stephen Randolph for a 4-0 lead. He added a solo shot in the ninth off Mike Koplove.
"I think he was looking to do something good because he hasn't been comfortable at the plate," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "That makes for a great story, but I am not sure how much that had to do with it. He was struggling. Sometimes you never know what gets a guy going."
Before his first homer, Walker was just 1-for-14 against Arizona this season.
"I have been lost at the plate," said Walker, who raised his average 17 points to .255. "It's like freaking marbles coming up to the plate. I want it to be back to beach balls, softballs."
Cruz (3-0) allowed just four hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings to remain perfect in three starts. The righthander lowered his ERA from 3.27 to 2.16.
"Tonight I threw over 100 pitches, and even though I didn't have great command, I was able to change speeds and keep them off-balance and keep the game close because I know we will score runs," Cruz said.
Cruz and Arizona starter Byung-Hyun Kim (0-3) were locked in a pitchers' duel for most of the night. The only run off Kim came when Wilson belted his third homer of the season with one out in the second inning.
Colorado took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth before Arizona rallied. Rookie Lyle Overbay homered, Craig Counsell greeted closer Jose Jimenez with an RBI single and pinch hitter Mark Grace lifted a sacrifice fly.
Luis Gonzalez reached on an infield hit and Danny Bautista walked to load the bases. Jimenez struck out Steve Finley, who has eight career grand slams, for his fourth save in as many chances.
The Rockies snapped a nine-game losing streak at Bank One Ballpark.
"We haven't won a ballgame here in a while, so it is good to establish the fact that we can win a game here," Hurdle said.
Kim, who had six strikeouts, was forced to leave after the sixth inning with a right shin contusion after he was hit by a broken piece of Wilson's bat. The shin began to swell after the inning, forcing Kim out of the game.
"The initial diagnosis was just a bad bruise on the outside of his right ankle and a small cut there," Arizona manager Bob Brenly said. "It was the barrel end of the bat, not the jagged end. We tried to wrap him up and keep the swelling down, but by the time we tried that, it tightened up on him, so we had no choice but to get him out of there."
Oscar Villareal relieved and pinch hitter Chris Richard singled before the next two hitters grounded out. Todd Helton was intentionally walked, but Walker foiled the strategy by depositing Randolph's second pitch deep into the seats beyond the right field fence.
"I'd walk Helton, too, he is the best hitter in the game," Walker said. "Why would you want to pitch to him in that situation? I have to step up every now and then and try to get the job done."
Cruz had some early jitters as Tony Womack led off the first inning with a single before he was caught stealing. Junior Spivey walked with two outs and went to second on a wild pitch by Cruz, who got Gonzalez to fly out to end the inning.
Bautista's double with two outs in the sixth inning chased Cruz in favor of lefthander Javier Lopez, who got Finley to fly to the warning track in right field.
"Tonight we faced a guy in Cruz that was effective with his changeup," Gonzalez said. "He just showed his fastball a couple of times and got ahead of the hitters."
The Diamondbacks had five hits in the ninth, matching their total over the first eight innings. Arizona has lost five of six and missed a chance to post back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
Colorado has been a major reason for the Diamondbacks' early struggles, going 4-0 against them.
Overbay's blast, his second of the season, extended his hitting streak to seven games.
