Houston – His short-term memory on the fritz, Houston Astros right fielder Jason Lane took the ball out of his glove and flipped it into the bleachers behind him in the sixth inning.
Here you go, Rockies, have another run.
Unfortunately for Lane, his generous souvenir toss came while the ball was in play. The mental gaffe enabled the Rockies’ Preston Wilson to score from second base, the second run of the play, on what should have been a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Garrett Atkins for the second out.
Unfortunately for the Rockies, no amount of charity can help them win on the road. Thanks to a two-run double by Lance Berkman off Jamey Wright in the seventh inning, the Astros were able to offset Lane’s inadvertent generosity and defeat the Rockies 6-5 on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.
Although the Rockies left with a humiliating 5-30 road record, greater shame was felt in the other clubhouse.
“It’s inexcusable, embarrassing,” Lane said, nearly an hour after the game as the only player left in the Astros’ clubhouse. “Some guys tried to say some things to loosen me up, but it’s hard for me to laugh at something like that.”
Although Lane’s play will make the blooper reels for years to come – his reaction upon learning he had lost track of the outs was to put his hands over his head in shame – the truth is, it didn’t have nearly the impact on the outcome as Atkins’ throwing error did in the fourth.
Playing third base, Atkins threw away a double-play ball that gave the Astros two runs en route to a 4-0 lead.
“I threw it too high and kind of too much into the runner,” Atkins said.
Lane’s brain cramp was in the middle of the Rockies’ four-run sixth. With one out, Todd Helton walked and moved to third on Wilson’s double. Atkins then lifted a deep, opposite-field fly to Lane, scoring Helton. A second later, an alert Astros fan was throwing Lane’s toss back onto the field, while Rockies third-base coach Mike Gallego was waving Wilson home with the second run.
Although it’s possible the error disturbed Houston pitcher Wandy Rodriguez, Wilson’s run became earned when Dustan Mohr followed with a single and Brad Hawpe hammered a two-run, opposite-field homer to make it 4-4.
When Helton drilled a go-ahead triple in the seventh, it appeared Lane would be the game’s goat.
But what Lane had going for him was wearing an Astros uniform on a night when Wright was the opposing pitcher. This isn’t to slam Wright. He deserved a bigger lead than what his defense gave him, but the Astros have become his bully.
After surrendering Berkman’s go- ahead double in the seventh, Wright’s lifetime record against the Astros fell to 0-11. No other active pitcher has as many as 10 decisions against a particular opponent without getting at least one win.
“Most of those numbers were against the old Jamey Wright,” said Berkman, who is 12-for-21 lifetime against the right-hander. “What I saw tonight was a much better pitcher. He’s added a pitch; the cutter makes him much tougher against lefties.”
Wright was admittedly fired up against his nemesis, pitching well until Berkman batted in the seventh.
“Anytime you’ve pitched seven-plus years in the big leagues and you beat every team but one, and that one team just crushes you every time, that’s a little extra incentive,” Wright said.
ROCKIES RECAP
Tennessee product says Helton big back home
Before the game, the Astros introduced first-round sandwich pick Eli Iorg, former major-leaguer Garth’s son, who recently was seen making a spectacular catch in the College World Series for the University of Tennessee. Eli Iorg was asked who’s bigger in Tennessee, him or Rockies first baseman Todd Helton. “It’s not even close – he’s a god there,” Iorg said. “He has a street named after him. He put us on the map. He’s literally on the map.” Helton visited with Iorg before batting practice. “He said he knows what I’m going through right now and to try to have fun with it and just go out and play,” Iorg said.
Cook scheduled to return
Aaron Cook, out since suffering blood clots in both lungs while pitching in a game last Aug. 7, threw a simulated game in Houston on Tuesday and likely will begin a 30-day minor-league rehabilitation assignment next week at the Single-A level. The Rockies are tentatively scheduling Aug. 1 for his return to the big leagues. “My arm feels fine,” Cook said. “I’m anxious
to get going. The sooner I go out on rehab, the sooner I can get back to the big leagues.”
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
