With their fourth straight loss and sixth straight at home, the Colorado Rockies (37-64) are on pace to lose 100 games for the first time in team history, after falling to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals (55-48) 11-6 last night in Denver. Game 2 of the three-game series is tonight at 6:40 at Coors Field (TV: Root Sports).

Colorado starter Jeff Francis (3-3) endured his roughest start since making his season debut June 9 against the Angels. He plunked Daniel Descalso to begin the game, surrendered a single to Allen Craig, then a two-run double to Holliday, who is 10-for-19 with three homers and 11 RBIs against Colorado. Carlos Beltran punctuated the first-inning barrage with a two-run home run to left.

Colorado got half of it back in the bottom of the frame as Eric Young Jr., hitting leadoff in place of an ill Dexter Fowler, deposited a double over Holliday's head in left. Michael Cuddyer shot a double into right field to score Carlos Gonzalez, who had singled home Young.

St. Louis' Skip Schumaker led off the second with a triple -- he'd score to make it 5-2 -- and Colorado's Jordan Pacheco began the second with his first of two doubles as six of the game's first 23 batters collected an extra-base hit.

Francis settled down in the third and fourth, retiring the six Cardinals he faced. His day ended after 56 pitches, with Tracy pinch-hitting Tyler Colvin with Pacheco on second in the fourth. Colvin was called out on strikes.

Francis' counterpart, Kyle Lohse (11-2), wasn't much better -- five earned runs in six innings -- but had an explosive offense behind him; the six runs the Cardinals provided were the second-most Lohse has received this year.

Josh Rutledge cranked a three-run homer off a Lohse sinker in the sixth to bring Colorado within one run. Rutledge, who has homered in consecutive games, is hitting .381 since his July 13 callup, and his 43 total bases lead all National League rookies over that span.

Reliever Adam Ottavino gave up three runs -- on homers by Holliday and Freese -- in the seventh and Mike Ekstrom was tagged for two more in the eighth.

Tickets are available for tonight’s game at Coors Field vs. the St. Louis Cardinals, and can be purchased by calling (800) 388-ROCK, or click here.

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