For the last five days, Sam Howard was thrilled to get the ball for his team on the Fourth of July. When his start arrived, he got another exciting component that helped him produce a dominant night.Working with catcher Tom Murphy for the first time, the Rockies' No. 14 prospect spun

In front of 15,664 fans, the Isotopes (41-43) rode a brilliant pitching performance from Sam Howard en route to a 2-0 shutout over the Sacramento River Cats (32-51). It was the fifth-largest crowd in Isotopes Park history.

Warming up before the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader, Sam Howard was not feeling good about his stuff."We had an off day yesterday and I hate pitching after an off day of not doing anything," he said. "The day after an off day, you feel kind of achy and everything