Rockies report: Atkins scratched

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 13, 2008 at 12:17 a.m.

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First baseman Garrett Atkins was scratched from Tuesday's lineup because of a case of strep throat.

Atkins arrived at Coors Field shortly after noon and was sent home before the bulk of the players showed up. Atkins, who hit .444 in the first seven games of the homestand to get his average back above .300, leads the Rockies with 117 games played and 75 RBI.

Jeff Baker was back at first base with Atkins sidelined, and Chris Iannetta, who went into Monday hitting .360, hit fourth. Iannetta has been the Rockies primary No. 5 hitter, behind Atkins, against right-handed pitchers in recent weeks.

HONORED

Third baseman Ian Stewart was voted the National League Rookie of the Month for July, even though he only spent the final 13 days of the month in the big leagues. Stewart hit .614 with a home run, five doubles, eight runs scored and 15 RBI in the month.

"It's always nice for our guys to get attention beyond the region," manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's not always easy, based on where we play and the time we play."

Stewart went into Tuesday's game leading the Rockies with a .375 average with runners in scoring position and was 10-for-22 against left-handed pitchers.

Etc.

Center fielder Scott Podsednik, out since July 28 with a fractured little finger on his left hand, was given clearance to begin swinging a bat on Tuesday and hopes to be on a minor league medical rehab assignment by this weekend, which would have him ready to rejoin the active roster next week in Los Angeles. . . . Right-hander Micah Owings, who opened the season in the Arizona rotation but has since been sent back to the minor leagues, is one of the two players to be named later that the Diamondbacks will send Cincinnati to complete the Adam Dunn deal, according to the Arizona Republic. Owings is expected to be skipped from his start for Triple-A Tucson tonight because of shoulder stiffness. Arizona already has sent right-hander Dallas Buck to the Reds and owes two more players. . . . Chris Iannetta's home run in the second gave the Rockies a streak of home runs in seven consecutive games, two shy of the season best set June 17-25. . . . Matt Holliday failed to score a run Tuesday, ending his run-scoring streak at 15 games, a club record for a single season, but tied with Dante Bichette for the overall record. Bichette's streak ran from Sept. 10, 1993 through April 14, 1994, including one appearance where he was a pinch-runner and scored. The major league record for consecutive games scoring a run is 18 by Red Rolfe in 1939 and Kenny Lofton in 2000. . . . The Diamondbacks sent infielder Jamie D'Antona to Tucson to make room for Dunn, who joined the team in time for Tuesday's game against the Rockies.

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