DENVER – Vinny Castilla drove in three runs, Jason Jennings worked out of two bases-loaded jams for his fourth win in five starts and the Colorado Rockies held on to beat the struggling Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Wednesday night.

Colorado closer Shawn Chacon allowed a pair of RBI singles in the ninth inning before retiring pinch-hitter David McCarty with runners at second and third to preserve the win.

The Rockies knocked around Curt Schilling (8-4) to beat the Red Sox for the second straight night, winning for just the sixth time in 26 games.

Colorado won consecutive home games for just the third time this year and earned its first home series victory since May 1-2 against Atlanta.

Boston’s Trot Nixon didn’t waste any time finding his stroke after coming off the disabled list, lining a solo homer to right in the fourth inning. He finished 1-for-4 after missing Boston’s first 63 games with back and leg injuries.

Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis also homered for Boston, which had Jennings (6-6) on the ropes for much of the night.

The right-hander allowed six hits and five walks but limited the Red Sox to three runs in six innings. Jennings worked out of bases-loaded jams in the fourth and fifth to bounce back from a shaky start against the Yankees last Thursday.

Chacon pitched the ninth for his 12th save in 17 chances. He allowed two-out RBI singles to Varitek and Youkilis.

Schilling’s sore right ankle didn’t appear to affect him, but he didn’t have his normal control. He allowed nine hits, including two by Jennings, and walked four in six innings, losing for the first time in five starts.

Schilling gave up seven runs – five earned – in his first loss since May 13 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Boston got plenty of support from a boisterous crowd, about half of which wore red and black and cheered as if it were Fenway Park instead of Coors Field.

Youkilis brought the Boston section to its feet in the second inning with a solo homer to left, his third of the season.

The Rockies gave the home fans something to cheer about in the bottom half, going up 2-1 on a run-scoring single by Jennings and Royce Clayton’s fielder’s choice.

A chant of “Let’s go Red Sox!” started in the fourth inning after Nixon’s homer and Johnny Damon’s run-scoring single put Boston up 3-2.

Colorado’s fans answered with a roar in the bottom half, when Castilla followed two-out walks by Clayton and Todd Helton with a two-run double that put the Rockies up 4-3.

A chant of “Rockies! Rockies!” broke out in the sixth after Jeromy Burnitz’s RBI single capped Colorado’s three-run inning.

Varitek hit his ninth homer in the eighth, a solo shot off Scott Dohmann that made it 7-4.

Notes: Varitek is 3-for-23 the past seven games. … Rockies LF Matt Holliday took a hit away from Nomar Garciaparra in the fourth inning with a sliding catch on a liner. Garciaparra is 5-for-20 since coming off the DL last Wednesday. … Colorado is 11-25 in night games. … Boston’s Mark Bellhorn was 0-for-4, ending his hitting streak at 13 games.

AP-ES-06-17-04 0009EDT