NL Beat | Cook whips up win to end Rockies' slide, snap Dodgers' streak

Aaron Cook doesn't consider himself a stopper, but he's certainly pitching like one.

Cook gave the Rockies the strong outing they needed, Matt Holliday had two hits and two runs batted in and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 on Sunday to end a four-game losing streak. The Dodgers also had their eight-game winning streak snapped.

It was the fifth time Cook (5-1) stopped a Rockies' losing streak, and for the third straight start he ended a four-game losing streak. The Rockies are 6-1 when Cook starts and 6-18 in other games.

"That's a title you guys gave me and I'll never put it on myself," Cook said of the stopper label. "I'm just trying to be consistent."

Since giving up four earned runs in losing his first start of the season, Cook has been stingy. He's given up 13 earned runs and averaged seven innings in his last six starts — all of them Colorado victories. He hasn't walked a batter in his last two starts.

"He has a real good balance on the mound right now," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He has good command of his pitches and he's attacking the strike zone."

Atlanta: Joe Simpson was expected to make a quick return (possibly as early as Tuesday) to the Braves broadcast booth after having an emergency appendectomy Sunday.

Chicago: Cubs cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez missed his second consecutive start with a sore left wrist from getting hit by a pitch.

Pittsburgh: The Pirates picked up the contract of left-hander Sean Burnett from Class AAA Indianapolis, adding him to the bullpen as a short reliever.

St. Louis: Anthony Reyes was demoted to the minor leagues by the Cardinals after sputtering in a relief role with a 5.27 earned-run average. The 26-year-old Reyes, once considered the team's top pitching prospect, will be a starter for Class AAA Memphis. But manager Tony La Russa believes the infrequency of Reyes' outings has more to do with his struggles than comfort level or a lack of enthusiasm for the bullpen life. "He took to it fine, he just hasn't pitched enough to where we've been able to keep him really sharp," La Russa said. "I think it's good for him to go down and work regularly."

Washington: Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman asked for and received a day off Sunday, putting an end to the majors' second-longest active consecutive games streak. Zimmerman's streak ended at 205 games dating to Sept. 19, 2006. Atlanta outfielder Jeff Francoeur's 355 games in a row is the longest current streak.

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