tug-of-war.About half the official competitions in those gam

DENVER -- Runs at hitter-friendly Coors Field arent normally cause for celebration. The Miami Marlins beg to differ. After going eight days without crossing the plate, the Marlins scored twice in the first inning Monday night. It led to high-fives and cheering in the dugout. More important, it led to a victory. Tom Koehler tossed seven strong innings, Ed Lucas homered and the Miami Marlins scored for the first time in four games in a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. "You know its going to happen eventually," Lucas said. "You hope. It was important for us to do it early and get that monkey off our back." Giancarlo Stanton reached base three times and Steve Cishek notched his 18th save for Miami, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Troy Tulowitzki hit his 17th home run and D.J. LeMahieu had three hits for the Rockies, who are 2-2 in a key 10-game homestand. The Marlins scoring drought reached a franchise-record 37 innings after a three-game sweep at Milwaukee over the weekend. They had not scored since Derek Dietrichs two-run homer in the fourth inning of a loss to Washington on July 14. They failed to score the last six innings of that game before being shut out in three straight games for the second time in franchise history. The Marlins ended their frustration right away against Colorado. Lucas reached on a one-out single in the first and scored on Stantons double to right. Stanton scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. "All the guys were pretty excited about us scoring a run there in the first. I saw a couple of fist pumps and I know the guys were having fun with it," manager Mike Redmond said. "We knew it was going to come. As frustrating as the Milwaukee series was, these guys have done a good job of turning the page." Lucas said the players have stayed positive despite the lack of runs, but finally breaking through helped relax the team. "You could sense the relief in the dugout. A lot of chatter, a lot of chirping," he said. "A lot more energy in the dugout." Lucas gave Miami a 3-0 lead when he crushed Drew Pomeranzs 89 mph fastball down the left-field line to lead off the third. It was another poor outing for Pomeranz (0-4), the centerpiece of the Ubaldo Jimenez trade with Cleveland two years ago. Pomeranz began this season in Triple-A before being called up June 28. He had an 8.76 ERA in three starts and was sent to Double-A Tulsa. He was recalled Monday, but struggled against the Marlins, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks in 4 1-3 innings. "I think maybe Im just over-thinking a little bit, trying to be too fine with things instead of just attacking guys," Pomeranz said. The Rockies offence didnt help. Colorado has scored one run or less eight times in July. "We got some hits, but we couldnt string anything together," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "You score one run, youre not going to win many games." Koehler (2-5) looked sharp in his first start since July 2. His only blemish was Tulowitzkis homer to lead off the fourth that made it 3-1. Michael Cuddyer followed with a double, but Koehler struck out Todd Helton and retired Wilin Rosario and Nolan Arenado to strand Cuddyer at third. "I wasnt as upset with the home run as I was with the double," Koehler said. "Tulos a great hitter. You get 3-0 and hes looking for one thing and put a charge into it. I was a little disappointed I didnt come back and get right back in the zone. It took me an extra hitter, but the strikeout to Helton was definitely was a big lift." Koehler allowed one run on eight hits, struck out seven and didnt walk a batter in seven innings. It was the fourth time in 11 starts he has pitched at least seven innings. "He had great command. He was pounding his fastball in and out and threw some great breaking balls," Redmond said. "They had some hits off him they hit hard, but he was in complete control. It was a great effort by him and on quite a few days of rest." NOTES: The Rockies optioned INF Josh Rutledge to Triple A to make room for Pomeranz on the roster. ... After the game, Miami GM Larry Beinfest said the team optioned Dietrich and outfielder Marcell Ozuna to Double-A Jacksonville. Beinfest said the team will select the contracts of outfielders Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick from Jacksonville on Tuesday. The Marlins will announce corresponding moves to their 40-man roster at that time, Beinfest said. ... Marlins starters have allowed three or fewer runs in 26 of the last 30 games. ... The Rockies will send RHP Jhoulys Chacin (9-4, 3.50 ERA) to the mound against Miamis Jose Fernandez (5-5. 2.75) in the second game of the series Tuesday. Custom Michael Jordan Jersey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. Paul Konerko Jersey Large . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. http://www.customwhitesoxjersey.com/custom-early-wynn-jersey-large-381p.html . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. White Sox Jerseys China . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Luke Appling Jersey Large . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. RIO DE JANEIRO -- When Simone Manuel touched the wall to clinch a gold medal Saturday night, it was a moment 120 years in the making.The U.S. womens 4x100-meter medley relay team of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dana Vollmer and Manuel -- winners at the Rio Games on Saturday night -- is being recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as delivering the nations 1,000th gold medal in Summer Olympics history.By their count, anyway. Keeping count of the gold total is not as exact a science as one might think.The count accepted by the U.S. Olympic Committee coming into the Rio Games was 977 gold medals, and even that was adjusted a bit in recent weeks over a debated medal from the 1904 St. Louis Games. That means the gold medal in the womens eights on Saturday morning was the 21st for the Americans in Rio, and No. 998 overall. Some sites say theres a few more, some say a bit less. The USOC count is the accepted one.And the relay win was No. 23 in Rio, so by the USOCs count that made it official.A gold medal is like a newborn baby, said long jumper Jeff Henderson, who put the U.S. on the brink with gold No. 999 earlier Saturday night. Its just lovely.Lovely, 1,000 times over now for the Americans.A remarkable achievement made possible by the culture of sport that is the fabric and foundation of Team USA, USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said Saturday night.James Connolly won the first for the U.S. in 1896, and of course no one has added more to the total than Michael Phelps, a 23-time gold medalist. Illustrating how not-so-simple this medal-counting business is, the official info portal for the Rio Games even has a different number than the USOC, saying the one the Americans will recognize as No. 1,000 is really No. 1,001.Whatever the real number, the U.S. is the first to reach four figures -- in a landslide. The Soviet Union remains No. 2 on the all-time summer gold list, and no other nation has even reached 500.Heres the significance: The next four best nations had 1,004 gold medals coming into Rio, said Bill Mallon, an Olympic historian. You add up the next four and they barely have more than we do.At its current rate, China wouldnt reach 1,000 golds until 2100. Germany wouldnt get there until 2204.But there have been some very interesting story lines on the U.S. road to 1,000. Consider some of them:THE DEMONT CASEIf Rick DeMont had his way, gold medal No. 1,000 would really be identified as gold medal No. 1,001.Or maybe even No. 1,002.DeMont was 16 when he won gold in the 400-meter freestyle at the Munich Games in 1972. But he tested positive for ephedrine, which was part of his asthma medication, and stripped of the medal days later along with a chance to compete in a 1,500-meter event.His saga, however, doesnt stop there.DeMont tried for decades to get the medal back, saying he was wronged because the USOC did not properly disclose to Olympic officials that he was on medication -- and that if they had done so, his ephedrine level would not haave led to his ban.ddddddddddddIn 2001, the USOC recognized DeMont for his achievements and said it was bringing him back into the Olympic family.But the International Olympic Committee -- in part out of concern for setting a precedent that could lead to enormous numbers of athletes contesting results -- declined later that year to consider restoring DeMonts gold over the USOC paperwork mix-up. So the gold remains awarded to Bradford Cooper of Australia. Cooper now owns a swimming school in his homeland while DeMont is the swimming coach at Arizona.It was so long ago that it almost seems like it happened to another person in another life, DeMont said Saturday. I dont carry it with me.THE ST. LOUIS GAMESNo matter how well the U.S. does in these Rio Games, the medal count this year wont come close to the St. Louis Games in 1904.Officially, heres the count from that Olympics for the U.S.: 79 golds (it had been 78 until recently, when one medal that was counted as being won by a mixed-nationality team was added to the U.S. total because five of the six members were Americans, along with one Austrian), 78 silver and 79 bronze -- 236 medals in all.Germany was second in the medals standings, with 13.There is no wrong or right, Mallon said. Its an interpretation.The Olympic website describes those St. Louis Games as being lost in chaos. They lasted nearly five months, had a marathoner disqualified for using a car on the route, saw gymnast George Eyser win six medals despite having a wooden leg and featured events such as dumbbells and tug-of-war.About half the official competitions in those games had only American entrants, and some historians have suggested that even some of the athletes who are listed as part of the U.S. team likely were newly arrived immigrants who either hadnt become citizens yet or never actually completed that process.THE 1906 GAMESYou might not know about them, since they dont count.Held in Athens, Greece, they were considered an Olympics at the time -- though arent now recognized by the IOC, so the medal counts appear in no official lists. Though unlike the St. Louis Games two years earlier, this had more of a normal Olympic program.There were 78 events and medals were awarded; there even was a true opening ceremony. The U.S. was second to France in the medal standings, winning 12 golds to their 15.So while little debates and differing counts will likely continue, the U.S. dominance isnt in question. And maybe it was fitting that Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever with 28 medals helped start the march toward the next milestone Saturday night, when the final swim of his career -- part of a win in a relay -- delivered gold No. 1,001.Its the Olympics, said U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky, a five-time winner of Olympic gold. Its the pinnacle of our sport ... and we feed off of each other. ' ' '