Cubs' rookie heating up

CHICAGO -- Mark Prior was as surprised as anybody when he found out that he was going to get a chance to pitch his first career complete game.\nPrior had a career-high 13 strikeouts, pitching a five-hitter to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.\nWith his pitch count already at 120 after eight innings, Prior got the call to finish the game.\n"I was kind of surprised that they did send me out there," Prior said. "You got to do it sometime and get the feel what it's like to close a game out."\nPrior, in his 14th career start, took a shutout into the eighth inning. The 21-year-old right-hander walked two and finished the game by striking out Jack Cust for the third time on his 136th pitch of the game.\n"He was on his last hitter," Cubs interim manager Bruce Kimm said. "Really I didn't want him to go over 130. He was throwing very well and I just wanted to see him close it out himself."\nPrior (5-3) retired 13 of the first 14 batters, striking out eight. He struck out the side in order in the first, getting Todd Helton swinging to end the inning. Prior has reached double digits in strikeouts five times.\n"He was just lightening," Cubs catcher Todd Hundley said. "You can tell the hitters it's coming and they just can't get to it."\nThe Rockies finished 2-10 on their longest road trip of the season.\nMark Bellhorn hit a two-run homer in the second against Shawn Chacon (5-8) to make it 4-0. Bellhorn tied the franchise record for most homers by a switch hitter in a season. Augie Galan also hit 18 home runs in 1937.\nFred McGriff's RBI double and Moises Alou's RBI single put Chicago ahead in the first.\nThe Rockies scored their only run against Prior in the eighth. Juan Uribe reached on an infield hit and Gary Bennett singled to right moving Uribe to third. Brent Butler pitch-hitting for Kent Mercker hit into a double-play scoring Uribe. Bennett was 3-for-3.\n"I didn't discover some secret to hitting Prior. He just had a couple of pitches he didn't locate where he wanted it," Bennett said. "He's got good stuff and he is as advertised."\nChacon allowed four runs and six hits in four innings.