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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 12:14 p.m., Sunday, June 29, 2008

BREAKTHROUGH
Dane Sardinha's first hit gives Tigers win over Rockies

Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Detroit Tigers catcher Dane Sardinha, left, smiles while talking to pitcher Kenny Rogers after hitting the game-winning triple against the Colorado Rockies in the sixth inning of an interleague baseball game.

DUANE BURLESON | Associated Press

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DETROIT — Dane Sardinha felt like a goat after grounding into a rally-killing double play. That made it all the better when his first major league hit made him a hero.

Sardinha, a 1997 Kamehameha alum from Kailua, hit a two-run triple to rally the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the woeful Colorado Rockies today, giving Detroit a three-game sweep and a winning record for the first time this season.

"It was a pretty good feeling," Sardinha said. "Especially my previous at-bat I had a chance to tie the game, first and third, a sacrifice would have worked but I grounded into a double play to end the inning. I was kind of frustrated. Thank God I redeemed myself the next at-bat."

Detroit, which won its fifth straight and 15th in its last 18, also got three hits and an RBI from Marcus Thames.

Troy Tulowitzki homered for Colorado, which lost its seventh straight.

Kenny Rogers (6-5) allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings. Freddy Dolsi pitched two perfect innings and Todd Jones bounced back from his first blown save of the season on Saturday night for a 1-2-3 ninth and his 15th save in 16 chances.

Detroit pitchers retired the final 17 Rockies batters in a row, beginning when Todd Helton hit into a first-to-short-to-pitcher double play with runners on first and second to end the fourth inning.

"The double play was probably as big as any other play in the game," Rogers said. "I got there in time, luckily. I don't think Todd's running as good as he could have. Gotta make those plays. It was probably a change in the game's momentum."

Even before that, the Rockies found ways to squelch their own momentum. They loaded the bases with none out in the third, but Jeff Baker popped out to second and Clint Barmes then grounded to the pitcher for an easy 1-2-3 double play.

"Our approach against Rogers, at first, was pretty good ... He made the adjustments," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said. "Couldn't hit the kid (Dolsi) and Jones, we got him last night, couldn't get him today."

Greg Reynolds (2-6) allowed four runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Reynolds left the game leading 3-2 after Renteria's infield single put runners on first and third with two out in the sixth.

Reynolds was replaced by Matt Herges. Sardinha, a backup catcher who was called up from Triple-A Toledo last week because Brandon Inge went on the DL, lined Herges' 1-0 pitch into the left-center field gap to score Thames and Renteria.

"What he does is a bonus and today it was a huge bonus. I couldn't be happier for him," said Tigers' manager Jim Leyland. "That's good tonic, a guy comes up like that and gets a big hit for you second game in. That's good stuff."

Herges was upset with himself.

"My job was to make one pitch, come in and get an out," he said. "... I'm asked to make one pitch. I didn't do it. Unacceptable."

Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Miguel Cabrera and Thames.

Colorado took the lead in the second when Yorvit Torrealba's hit a run-scoring single and Tulowitzki followed with a two-run homer on Rogers' 0-2 pitch. The drive, over the left-field fence, was Tulowitzki's second and first since April 23.

"Two strikes approach: Just put the barrel on it," he said. "I felt like it was my best swing of the day."