Los Angeles – This is what Southern California is supposed to be: sand in the toes, sips of umbrella drinks, gut-swirling amusement park rides.
This is what SoCal is for the Rockies: sand in the face, gulps of swallowed pride, being taken for fork-in-the-spleen rides.
With Hollywood practically in view from Dodger Stadium, the Rockies have become a predictable sitcom, playing the comic foil to Los Angeles.
Wednesday provided a reprieve. Consider it the unauthorized alternate ending. Two players relegated to the bench and a pitcher who was nearly cut twice delivered the Rockies’ 2-1 victory over the Dodgers.
The offense, lonely for long stretches, was provided by the reserve clause. Aaron Miles, who has lost his second-base job to Luis Gonzalez and possibly his spot in the Rockies’ organization, broke a scoreless tie with an eighth-inning double that pushed across Cory Sullivan.
Sullivan functions as a defensive replacement and pinch hitter these days, the club devoting time to Larry Bigbie and eventually Choo Freeman as it attempts to find a starting center fielder. That may come from free agency. Nonetheless, Sullivan doubled in a pinch and later scored on Matt Holliday’s double.
Miles found his way into the lineup because of Gonzalez’s bruised right index finger, suffered when the Dodgers’ Jeff Weaver hit him with a pitch Tuesday.
“You just hope to get enough at-bats to stay fresh,” said Miles, who smoked a line drive to left off reliever Steve Schmoll. “You want to be able to contribute.”
Byung-Hyun Kim did most of the heavy lifting for the Rockies. He continued mauling the Dodgers, extending his scoreless streak to 12 2/3 innings against them this season as a starter. He collared them at Coors Field on July 4 and was even more dominant Wednesday.cq
He didn’t allow a hit until Jose Cruz Jr.’s double on his 67th pitch.
“B.K. is a workaholic. He spends every waking moment trying to get better,” Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca said of Kim, who throws every day between starts and has even retreated to the batting cage and worked on pitches during his starts. “He feels strong, and now it’s about quality of pitches.”
The Rockies would like to bring him back as a free agent, viewing him as an attractive fourth or fifth starter to couple with Jason Jennings, Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis and Zach Day. Kim has expressed interest in returning.
“The last time out I felt as good as I have in three years. Tonight I felt the same, and my control was better,” Kim said. “I had my sinker working inside and I threw a lot of changeups.”
It was left to the bullpen to protect his work. Since April, the relievers have graduated from sickly to the team’s muscle. If the Rockies avoid 100 losses, the bullpen deserves credit. Mike DeJean teetered in the eighth Wednesday, tagged for a run on Olmedo Saenz’s double.
DeJean and closer Brian Fuentes have run hot for weeks, leaving manager Clint Hurdle unable to resist the temptation to use them. Fuentes wasn’t available Tuesday after throwing 86 pitches in his previous four outings, including Sunday when he entered with the Rockies leading 9-4.
His biggest pitch came against shortstop Oscar Robles, who has hammered Colorado pitchers this season. With a runner on first and one out, Robles carried a .481 average (13-for-27) against the Rockies into the box.
He pounded a ball up the middle that a diving Miles snared and tossed to second for an out. Hurdle called it a huge play. Fuentes responded by erasing Hee-Seop Choi with a strikeout, a fitting, if not unexpected conclusion, to arguably the team’s best-pitched game of the season.
ROCKIES RECAP
Miles looking to stay aggressive, contribute
Aaron Miles realizes he faces an uncertain future with the Rockies, the team committed to Luis Gonzalez as next year’s second baseman. Over the next six weeks, he just hopes he gets enough at-bats to contribute. He continues take groundballs at third base as a way to possibly find more playing time.
With Gonzalez out with a bruised right index finger, Miles started Wednesday, lining a sixth-inning single, ending a streak of 15 batters retired in a row by Dodgers starter D.J. Houlton.
“One of the things I have to look at in the offseason is how to stay aggressive with my approach and still get on base more,” Miles said.
Hochevar update
With the Dodgers unable to bridge the financial gap, Luke Hochevar, a former Colorado prep star, is expected to resume school at the University of Tennessee this week, casting him back into next year’s draft. Classes began Wednesday, but Hochevar did not attend. The Rockies wanted to draft Hochevar, but backed off over contract concerns. Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, a friend of Hochevar, has instructed the pitcher to sign, seeing no advantage to delaying his pro career.
Helton hot
With his first-inning single, Todd Helton has hit safely in 39 of his past 43 games. Since June 1, Helton has hit .343, tied for best in the National League.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
