The 2005 Rockies don’t make giant leaps. They take baby steps.
Super-sized growth would have meant returning from their best road trip of the season and playing dominating baseball during their 14-game homestand at Coors Field.
That didn’t happen. Instead, on the longest homestand in franchise history, the Rockies went 6-8 at the corner of 20th and Blake.
However, Colorado’s entertaining, homer-bashing, 9-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon at least provided some mini-steps in the right direction.
Step one, despite the predominance of Cubbies hats and jerseys in the stands over the weekend, the Rockies took two out of three games to save face.
Step two, the baby-faced Rockies handed Cubs starter Greg Maddux his first loss at Coors Field.
Step three, the Rockies’ dormant offense finally woke up, clubbing a season-high four home runs.
And finally, after the Rockies fell behind 5-3 in the fifth inning when starter Jeff Francis suffered a major meltdown, the Rockies were able to mount a comeback, against Maddux, of all pitchers.
“Everybody contributed today,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Nobody backed off, nobody stopped playing and nobody stopped pitching. Our offense showed up big-time against a pretty good pitcher. We didn’t panic, and that’s one of the signs that I think will help us turn things around.”
Outfielder Matt Holliday, who sparked the Rockies’ rally by hitting a two-run homer off Maddux to tie the game 5-5 in the fifth, said Sunday’s victory just might be a steppingstone.
“You can’t make too much out of this, because you do have to move on,” Holliday said. “But if you win two out of three games against a good team, at home, with a big crowd and this kind of atmosphere, it gives you some confidence. Now we go on the road, and hopefully we can play as well on the road this time as we did last time.”
The previous time the Rockies packed their bags, they won four of six on a trip through San Francisco and Arizona. After a travel day today, the Rockies begin a nine-game West Coast swing, beginning with a three- game set in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Sunday, on a sunny afternoon when balls were hopping around Coors Field like popcorn in a microwave, Colorado’s victory wasn’t tucked away until the very end.
In the eighth, Rockies pinch- hitter Jorge Piedra hit a three-run homer to right field off Cubs reliever Scott Williamson to stake the Rockies to a 9-5 lead. Piedra’s homer seemed like insurance at the time, what with closer Brian Fuentes due to come in and shut down the Cubs in the ninth. After all, in much stickier situations, Fuentes has been money most of this season, coming through on 21 of 24 save opportunities.
But Fuentes gave up back-to- back solo homers to Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez to open the ninth, as well as a triple high off the right-field wall to Michael Barrett at the back end of the inning. With the Cubs fans in an uproar and Rockies fans biting their nails, Fuentes stayed on the hill, recovered and struck out Todd Walker to end the game.
“With Brian Fuentes, all we usually need is a one-run lead; that’s how good he’s been for us,” Piedra said. “Today was just a day when they put a couple of good swings on him. But he’s a darn good pitcher out of the pen. Today he was just a little off.
“It still worked out for us.”
Rockies recap
There is a reason Rockies manager Clint Hurdle keeps Jorge Piedra at the ready: The utility outfielder produces. A prime example came in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon when he hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer to right field in the Rockies’ 9-7 win over the Cubs. Piedra is 9-for-22 (.409) with six RBIs as a pinch hitter this season. The pinch-hit homer was just the fourth by a Rockie this season.
“Anytime you come off the bench, it’s good to know you did something good for the team,” Piedra said. “You always want to play more, but a game like this gives you some satisfaction.”
Said Hurdle: “I kind of like having a guy on the bench who can swing the bat. You find times to get him starts in the field and keep him sharp, and Jorge has responded very well to that.”
FRANCIS FALTERS: Rockies starter Jeff Francis continues to struggle. He lasted 4 1/3 innings against the Cubs, getting bashed for eight hits and five earned runs. Although he escaped out of jams in the first three innings, he had to throw 60 pitches in the first three frames. Francis hasn’t notched a victory since winning at Arizona on Aug. 6.
FULLER HOUSE: Thanks to an influx of blue-clad Cubs fans, the Rockies drew an announced total crowd of 96,073 at Coors Field for their three-game weekend series.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
