El Duque wins sixth straight start

DENVER (AP) -- The Chicago White Sox made their first trip to Coors Field a memorable one.

Now they can't wait to come back.

Orlando Hernandez shook off a shaky start to win his sixth straight decision and the White Sox had a season high in hits for the second time in three games, completing a three-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies with a 15-5 victory Wednesday night.

"There's a lot of hits here and we saw a little bit of everything tonight," said Chicago's Paul Konerko, who extended his interleague hitting streak to 13 games. "Bloopers, line drives, home runs, gappers -- they are not kidding when they say this place is a hitter's park."

The White Sox certainly took advantage.

Juan Uribe and Carl Everett each had three RBI and Chicago finished with 22 hits after setting a season-high with 15 against the Rockies on Monday. The White Sox turned a close game into a rout in the final two innings, scoring six in the eighth and four in the ninth.

Joe Crede hit a two-run homer in the final inning and pinch-hitter Frank Thomas capped Chicago's monster night, sending a buzz through what was left of the crowd with a 440-foot solo homer to center.

The result was the White Sox's fourth road sweep after they did it twice last season and the first by an AL team at Coors Field since Anaheim in 2001.

"I like my players to have fun and when you're winning that's very easy to do," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, whose team has won seven of nine overall to improve baseball's best record to 40-19.

Colorado had a Coors Field record-low seven hits in losing the series' first two games by a combined score of 11-4. The Rockies had that many hits and runs by the third inning Wednesday but got one more hit the rest of the way to lose their third straight after a four-game winning streak.

"We were dominated by them in the series," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, back after missing two games to be with his ill daughter. "We didn't show up in the series, didn't show up for it at all."

Hernandez (7-1), like Freddy Garcia and Jose Contreras in the first two games, had something to do with it.

El Duque didn't seem comfortable early in his first trip to Denver, giving up one more hit (seven) in the first two innings than he had in his previous start when he went six innings.

But after giving up a run in the first inning and three more in the second, Hernandez found his rhythm. He allowed a single in the third and then retired 10 straight batters before being lifted at the start of the seventh.

Hernandez allowed four runs and seven hits in his second solid start since coming off the DL with a sore shoulder. He also had his second career hit -- first since June 11, 1999, against Florida while playing for the Yankees -- in the second inning, floating a

single just over first baseman Todd Helton's glove.

"I threw the same and pitched the same game," Hernandez said. "Maybe a little quicker and a faster rhythm [after the second inning]. That's all, though."

Rockies starter Jeff Francis (5-3) ran up his pitch count early and never really recovered, losing for the first time in eight career starts at Coors Field.

Francis had trouble spotting his pitches early and worked deep in the count against just about every batter. The left-hander labored through a 34-pitch first inning, giving up three runs on Aaron Rowand's two-run single and an RBI double by Everett.

Chicago got two more off Francis in the fifth, taking a 5-4 lead on Tadahito Iguchi's RBI double and Everett's run-scoring single.

The left-hander allowed five runs and 12 hits in six innings.

"Nobody goes through not losing at their own ballpark," Francis said. "It was a matter of time before I lost here."

Colorado at least made a game of it early.

Helton had an RBI single in the first inning and Colorado's first run of the second came on an infield single by Eddy Garabito

and Ozuna's throwing error at third. Cory Sullivan followed with a run-scoring single and Desi Relaford added an RBI double to put the Rockies up 4-3.

That was it for the Rockies until the ninth inning, when J.D. Closser's homer made it 15-5.

"We got blown out," Hurdle said.Game notes
Rowand extended his hitting streak to 13 games. ... Rockies catcher Danny Ardoin has thrown out three runners in two games since being called up -- one more than Closser and Todd Greene had in the first 57 games combined. ... Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday went out in the third inning after aggravating a sprained pinkie. ... Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan attended the game.