Three keys

Key moments in the Rockies' 6-2 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night at Coors Field:

1 Todd Helton doubled home a run with two out in the first inning. Garrett Atkins followed with a single and Brad Hawpe hit a three-run home run.

2 Kazuo Matsui singled with two out in the second, the ball deflecting off pitcher Claudio Vargas and landing in no-man's land on the infield grass. Matt Holliday then lined Vargas' next pitch into the left-field stands to make it 6-1.

3 Corey Hart led off the sixth with a single and stole second. But Josh Fogg, facing a batter with a runner in scoring position for the first time in the game, got J.J. Hardy and Prince Fielder to fly to center sandwiched around Ryan Braun's comebacker.

Etc.

Injured reliever Brian Fuentes (strained muscle below his left armpit) is expected to throw 25 pitches in a simulated game today. . . . Holliday went 3-for-4 and is hitting .475 (19-for-40) during his past 10 games. Holliday, who has 17 games with at least three hits, has recorded 13 extra-base hits during his past 12 games. . . . Hawpe had only two hits in his past 21 at-bats before he launched a three-run home run in the first inning. Hawpe has hit 14 of his 19 home runs at home. . . . Atkins extended his hitting streak to seven games. Atkins is hitting .393 (11-for-28) during the streak. . . . Matsui extended his hitting streak to six games. . . . Willy Taveras went 0-for-5 after recording at least one hit in eight consecutive starts. . . . Right- handed reliever Manny Corpas has allowed only one earned run during his past 16 innings. . . . Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki committed two errors in the ninth inning. He had committed two errors in his previous 65 games. . . . Braun hit his 21st home run in his 65th game, the quickest a player has reached that mark since 1987, when Mark McGwire hit 21 homers in his first 60 games.

Jack Etkin and Pat Rooney