Three keys

Key moments in the Rockies' 9-2 win against the Pirates at Coors Field on Tuesday night:

1 Third baseman Ian Stewart, starting in place of Garrett Atkins, delivered a grand slam for his first major league home run and a 4-1 Rockies lead in the third. It was the Rockies' seventh grand slam of the season, the most in franchise history.

2 After Nate McLouth doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on a one-out groundout by Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady singled, the latter the first hit a right- handed batter had off Elmer Dessens, and manager Clint Hurdle brought in reliever Taylor Buchholz. Buchholz got Jason Bay to pop up to end the inning and retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced to earn the win.

3 Matt Holliday homered with one out in the fifth and Yorvit Torrealba added a two- run single to give the Rockies a 7-2 lead.

Etc.

Stewart joined Hunter Pence of the Astros (May 5 at St. Louis) and Danny Richar of the White Sox (Friday at Seattle) as rookies who hit grand slams for their first major league home runs this season. . . . Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hit in the fifth spot. It was the fourth time this season Tulowitzki has hit fifth. He primarily has hit seventh (57 times) and second (40), but also has hit sixth (seven), eighth (seven) and ninth (two). . . . Tulowitzki's 16 go-ahead RBI are third most for a Rockies rookie. Todd Helton had 19 in 1998 and Atkins had 18 in 2005. . . . Jamey Carroll's late- game appearance in right field on Monday was his first time there in the majors. . . . Dessens is the 12th Mexican-born player to appear for the Rockies and one of three to play for the Rockies this year, joining right-hander Rodrigo Lopez and catcher Geronimo Gil. . . . The back-to-back home runs by Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe in the seventh inning produced the second set of successive homers hit by the Rockies this season. Atkins and Hawpe went back-to-back against Tampa Bay on June 15.