By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer

DENVER(AP) -- The Colorado Rockies keep losing players and winning
games.

Starting pitcher Jose Contreras came out in the third inning
with a strained quadriceps Thursday, his second start for
injured Aaron Cook.

No matter, the bullpen and a makeshift lineup that was missing
its top two sluggers led the Rockies to their seventh straight
win, 5-1 over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.

"Got to keep the train going," Eric Young Jr. said.

It's chugging along at full steam these days.

The NL wild card leaders increased their cushion to 4 1/2 games
over idle San Francisco and crept within two games of
first-place Los Angeles in the NL West. The Dodgers also had the
day off.

By sweeping four games from the Reds, the Rockies wrapped up a
9-1 homestand - one of their best in franchise history. Next,
Colorado embarks on a nine-game road trip that includes three in
San Francisco.

"We are playing great baseball," Jason Giambi said. "I'm excited
that we are doing the little things, moving runners, getting big
hits when we need it and getting great pitching. That's what you
want to do down the stretch."

All this despite losing pivotal players.

With Troy Tulowitzki and Ian Stewart sitting out a third
straight game with back stiffness, the team again had to rely on
a patchwork lineup.

With their top two sluggers out, the Rockies went with Clint
Barmes at shortstop, Garrett Atkins at third and Young at
second. The team even gave first baseman Todd Helton the day
off, starting Giambi instead.

Still, the lineup produced.

"It speaks volumes as to the depth and strength of this
organization," said manager Jim Tracy, whose team is 63-32 since
he took over.

Young was just trying to jump-start a listless offense when he
put down a two-out bunt in the third inning.

His bunt, though, slipped through the fingers of pitcher Kip
Wells as he tried to field it, and the speedy Young easily beat
it out.

That got the Rockies going.

Seth Smith had an RBI single, Giambi laced a two-run double to
deep center and Atkins added a two-run homer.

Just like that, the Rockies had a 5-1 lead. It was more than
enough.

"You never know how a small thing like my bunt can get something
like that going," said Young, who added two stolen bases. "I
just wanted to try to get everybody excited and pumped up and
ready for their at-bats."

He succeeded.

"The kid lays down a bunt for a base hit?" Tracy said. "Speed
kills. ... Things happened from there."

The Rockies lost Contreras in the third when he strained his
right quadriceps trying to beat out a grounder. He was taken out
of the game and is day to day.

In his absence, Colorado strung together three relievers who
allowed just three hits the rest of the way. Juan Rincon (3-2)
pitched three effective frames, striking out five to earn the
win.

"What a job by our bullpen," Tracy said.

Giambi has been dialed in since joining the Rockies on Sept. 1.
The slugger that Tracy has taken to calling "Giambino" now has
six RBIs in six games with Colorado.

"I have a lot of confidence right now and I'm swinging the bat
well," said Giambi, who nearly hit a solo homer in the eighth,
only to have Drew Stubbs reach over the wall to bring it back.
"I've come in, fit right in right away and have gotten results."

Wells (1-4) didn't fare well against his former team, giving up
five runs and six hits in five innings.

"I made mistakes with sliders that cost me," said Wells, who
pitched for Colorado last season. "The slider cost me - soft
pitches over the plate. Atkins really jumped on a bad pitch."

Joey Votto celebrated his 26th birthday with a 2-for-4 afternoon
at the plate, while Brandon Phillips had three singles and a
stolen base for Cincinnati. Phillips' run-scoring single in the
first was his 86th RBI.

The Reds had a chance to pounce on the Rockies in the first
inning, but Contreras struck out Wladimir Balentien and Adam
Rosales to wiggle out of a bases-loaded jam.

"That's been a problem for us all year, and it was today," Reds
manager Dusty Baker said. "We get runners in scoring position
and we can't make contact or put the ball in play."

NOTES: Rockies RHP Ubaldo Jimenez had his next start pushed back
from Saturday to Tuesday due to a hamstring he tweaked while
running the bases Monday. Colorado is expected to call up RHP
Esmil Rogers from the minors to start Saturday at San Diego.
Jimenez is slated to go Tuesday in San Francisco. ... The
Rockies swept the season series (7-0) from the Reds for the
first time in team history.