The surging Rockies look to avenge a poor effort earlier this season against the Pirates as the teams open a three-game set Friday night.

Jason Marquis (8-4, 3.77 ERA), set to take the mound for Colorado, is 8-6 with a 3.83 ERA in 23 appearances with 19 starts versus the Pirates.

The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his last six starts, surrendering just two home runs in 43 1-3 innings. He worked seven strong innings against Seattle on Saturday, giving up one run and seven hits in the Rockies’ 5-3 win.

Colorado will be facing Ross Ohlendorf (6-5, 4.56) for the first time.

The right-hander gave up one run and two hits in six innings of Pittsburgh’s 6-3 victory over Detroit on Sunday. Ohlendorf went 2-2 with a 5.56 ERA in his previous six starts.

The last time the Rockies were at .500 was April 15, when a 5-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field left them 4-4. They got back to .500 (33-33) by winning for the 13th time in 14 games.

The Rockies were a season-high two games over .500 on April 10 (3-1) and a season-low 12 games below .500 on June 3 (20-32).

Their latest win, 4-3 over the Rays, improved the Rockies to 5-1 on the current homestand, which includes a three-game series this weekend against the Pirates, and assures Colorado of its first winning homestand of the season. The Rockies are closing in on .500 at Coors Field, where their record is 14-15.

They began the season 0-8 in one-run games but are now 6-10 in such games, and their 7-2 record in interleague games is the best among National League clubs.

The Rockies are 15-5 under manager Jim Tracy, who got back to .500 in his career (577-577) as the Rockies beat the Rays in the rubber game of a series for their fifth win in the club’s past six series. The Rockies improved to 4-5 in rubber games, 2-2 at home.

Rockies 4, Rays 3: Clint Barmes hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second inning, and Todd Helton followed with a homer to give Colorado a 3-1 lead. Carlos Gonzalez increased the lead in the fourth with his first homer as a Rockie. Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings. Joel Peralta relieved Jimenez and got Ben Zobrist to fly out to end the seventh with runners on first and second. Closer Huston Street gave up three singles and two runs in the ninth, but with the tying run on first, he ended the game by getting Gabe Gross to line out.

Notes, Quotes

• RHP Ubaldo Jimenez improved to 6-6 this season and 22-22 in his career. He’s 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in four June starts with wins in his past three games. Jimenez left Thursday after throwing 117 pitches in 6 2/3 innings. He had an extra day of rest after a June 12 start when he threw a career-high 127 pitches. Jimenez has thrown at least 100 pitches in 13 of his 14 starts this season, including each of the past 10.

• 1B Todd Helton broke a string of nine hitless at-bats and a drought of 54 at-bats without a homer with his eighth of the season Thursday. Helton’s first homer since June 1 at Houston followed a two-run homer by 2B Clint Barmes, giving the Rockies back-to-back homers for the fifth time this year.

• RHP Aaron Cook earned his 58th win Wednesday, tying RHP Jason Jennings for first in franchise history. Cook earned his 58th win in his 184th career appearance and 153rd start for the Rockies. Jennings recorded his 58th win on June 15, 2006, at Washington in his 155th start for the Rockies. Cook, who is 6-3 with a 4.23 ERA this year, has won three consecutive starts. During that stretch, he has allowed five runs in 21 innings (2.14 ERA).

• During their franchise-record-tying, 11-game winning streak, which ended with a loss Tuesday, the Rockies hit .297, outscored the opposition 73-28 and outhomered foes 15-8. The Rockies hit .322 (38-for-118) with runners in scoring position, compared to the opposition’s .139 mark (10-for-72). The Rockies had a 2.55 ERA, including 2.50 by the starters, who went 10-0, and 2.70 by the relievers, who went 1-0.

By The Numbers: 13—Wins for the Rockies in their first 17 games under manager Jim Tracy.

Quote To Note: “The huge thing lately is that the mood on the field has changed so much. Now we expect something to go right, not wrong.”—SS Troy Tulowitzki, on the Rockies’ resurgence.

Roster Report

• OF Carlos Gonzalez hit his first homer with the Rockies—it came in the fourth inning with the bases empty off Rays RHP Matt Garza—and ended a stretch of 95 at-bats without a homer dating to Aug. 14, 2008, when he was with the A’s. That homer was also against the Rays, a two-run shot off James Shields.

• 2B Clint Barmes, who went 2-for-4, raised his average to .296, the highest it has been since April 13, when he was hitting .300 (6-for-20). He entered the game leading the National League in hits this month and now has 27. His home run was his first since June 6 at St. Louis, ending a homerless span of 42 at-bats, and his first at home since May 26 against the Dodgers.

• RHP Huston Street needed 29 pitches in the ninth to earn his 15th save. He has saves in seven consecutive outings, one short of his career high. He did that twice, the last time April 6-27, 2008.

• OF Seth Smith made his first start since June 6 and hit leadoff for the fourth time this season—the other times were May 8-9 and June 6. Manager Jim Tracy batted Smith first because was leading the team with a .423 on-base percentage. He was 5-for-11 with three walks in his three previous games in the leadoff spot but went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Smith has reached base safely in 14 of 26 plate appearances as a pinch hitter and has a 1.188 OPS in the pinch.

Medical Watch:

INF Jeff Baker (sprained left wrist) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 27, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 24. He will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Modesto on June 19.

RHP Ryan Speier (strained left hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 19. He began a minor league rehab assignment May 13, but he was shut down June 3 due to soreness in the back of his shoulder.

RHP Taylor Buchholz (partial tear in right ulnar collateral ligament) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 22. He threw a simulated game June 10, but after feeling renewed pain, he will undergo Tommy John surgery in mid-June.