The fans in Colorado expected to see the usual Fourth of July fireworks after Friday's game against the Marlins. They had no idea that the "bombs bursting in air" would happen all night long, starting when Hanley Ramirez homered in the first inning and not ending until almost four hours later, after the teams combined for 35 runs, the most in a game since 1999. Matt Treanor homered in the first inning, helping stake the Marlins to an early 5-0 lead, and the Marlins continued to pile on the hits early, giving Scott Olsen a 13-4 lead by the fourth inning. Easy win, right? Not quite. The Rockies' bats came alive. Over the next two innings, Ryan Spilborghs homered twice, and Chris Iannetta, Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday all hit round-trippers as well, and Colorado had cut the Marlins' lead to 13-12.

Olsen was chased from the mound, and for the 262nd consecutive game, Florida's starter did not go the distance, a new MLB record. Cody Ross drove in the last of his five runs in the top of the seventh inning, and the Marlins scored four times to lead by five, but Colorado wasn't going to be denied. Holliday hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh and then scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on Iannetta's walk-off single, and the Rockies had manufactured the biggest comeback in team history. The teams combined for 43 hits, yet not all fantasy owners are going to smiling when they check the box score. While the top four hitters in Colorado's lineup (Spilborghs, Clint Barmes, Holliday and Atkins) were a combined 16-for-22 with five home runs and 13 RBIs, Brad Hawpe didn't partake in the fun, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, and lowering his average to .245 on the year. Troy Tulowitzki went 1-for-4, continuing his glacier-like pace toward the Mendoza line.

Then there's Todd Helton, who didn't get a hit last night, nor will he for quite some time after being placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Thursday, because of a bad back. "We feel we're best served by shutting this thing down for a while to give him a chance to heal rather than pushing his way through this. I don't think he's capable of pushing his way through this one," manager Clint Hurdle told reporters. Jeff Baker likely will get the bulk of playing time at first base until Helton returns.

• Past editions: 7/04: Borowski's demise | 7/03: Kuroda's return | 7/02: Myers demoted

How about Bronx Bombers bursting in air? Johnny Damon's attempt to catch a Kevin Youkilis drive ended with the Yankees' left fielder crashing into the wall and spraining his left shoulder. The ball popped out of Damon's glove and danced along the top of the fence long enough for Youkilis to make third base safely. Damon left the game and says he will be out a few days, if not longer. … Ben Sheets made it through a difficult 5 2/3 innings but did just enough to earn his 10th win of the season. The Pirates helped him by stranding 12 runners in the game, eight of them against Sheets. … Ken Griffey Jr. is now only five home runs behind Sammy Sosa on the all-time home run list after hitting No. 604 last night. Bronson Arroyo gave up only five hits (no runs) and won his second straight game for the Reds. … Albert Pujols hit his 300th career home run off Bob Howry, becoming the fifth-youngest player to reach that milestone. … After finishing last season with the worst record in baseball, the Rays are now the best team in the league -- and the only team since 1900 to have made that kind of turnaround on July 4. Edwin Jackson took a two-hitter into the eighth inning, and Carlos Pena homered and drove in five runs as Tampa Bay crushed Kansas City, 11-2. Shortstop Reid Brignac made his major league debut, going 0-for-3 with a walk. … They're both 8-8, but going in opposite directions. Jered Weaver, fresh off six hitless innings against the Dodgers, took a four-hit shutout into the eighth inning against the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, his opponent, A.J. Burnett, allowed eight runs for the third time in six starts, despite not walking a batter for the first time all season. … Cha Seung Baek walked Orlando Hudson with two outs in the first inning before retiring the next 15 hitters. The San Diego hurler gave up only two hits in his second win of the year, beating the first-place Diamondbacks, who are now one game below .500. … For the sixth straight start, Erik Bedard left before reaching the 100-pitch mark. He allowed only one run and five hits, with six strikeouts, to improve to 6-4, but he walked out on reporters after the game and is unhappy with how he is being micromanaged in Seattle. … Another frustrated pitcher is Johan Santana, who allowed only two runs and six hits in eight innings but was not kept in to face the Phillies in the ninth inning despite having thrown only 95 pitches. Duaner Sanchez came in and gave up the winning run. Santana is now 0-4 in his last six starts, but with a 2.48 ERA. Don't blame him. … Jonathan Sanchez struck out seven but reached 100 pitches in five innings and had to leave the game. He left with a lead, but his bullpen eventually blew it, as the Giants lost 10-7 to the Dodgers. Still, Sanchez joins teammates Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum in the league's top-10 list for strikeouts. … Vicente Padilla was awful -- again. He allowed eight runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings against Baltimore and left the game with a bruised thumb. Padilla also was concerned about a collarbone injury and wondered if he might miss his next start. With his ERA having gone from 3.74 to 4.70 in only two starts, perhaps a break would be a good idea, injury or not.