San Diego – Todd Helton lives bitter Septembers. He has never played a meaningful game in the month during his career. Around this time of the season, he usually becomes annoyed, even angry.
At 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Helton was smiling, sharing a laugh with Buena Vista Little League World Series star Kalen Pimentel.
“I told him that he has more facial hair than I do,” Helton said. “Of course, I had to ask if he was really 12 years old.”
Helton knows a little something about aging, having watched Todd and the Toddlers slowly transform into Todd and the Spoilers. The Rockies continued to show they are worthy of a starring role in the “NL West Slide Story,” dispatching the flawed first-place San Diego Padres 6-5 at Petco Park.
It’s fair to wonder if the Rockies are a lot better – as their 25-25 record since the all-star break indicates – or if the division has become worse. In the series opener, an argument could be made for both.
Aaron Cook turned the Padres’ bats into matchsticks for six innings. With apologies to Clint Barmes and even Matt Holliday, Cook has developed into the season’s most pleasant surprise, showing the greatest upside of any young Rockies player.
The Rockies won despite committing three fielding errors. They won despite using four pitchers in the seventh inning. They won because the Padres pitchers walked 10 batters. They won because Padres catcher Miguel Olivo, assuming a play was dead, tossed a ball into the dugout, permitting Helton to score from second base as the Padres watched in shock.
What makes this noncontending Colorado team different is its makeup. In the past few years, the roster was cluttered with veterans who knew they weren’t coming back. Their lack of interest was reflected in late-season fades. This Rockies club has roots – as many as seven starters could return – and motivation.
For Helton, it is important to do well, well, because he’s Helton. It’s in his DNA. He went 3-for-3 and triggered a two-out first-inning rally off sloppy Chan Ho Park. He has hit .386 since July 1.
For Cook, he is driven to show he’s healthy. Opponents find him just plain nasty. Again, the right-hander relied almost exclusively on his sinker and, in a testament to its movement, failed to yield more than three earned runs for eighth time in his nine starts.
Colorado’s reward for doing well is tangible, beyond making a mess of a division that is threatening to feature the first winner with a losing record.
“All the teams in the West feel like they have a shot. We aren’t involved in (the race),” manager Clint Hurdle said. “But we could be very involved.”
At 56-81, the Rockies must go 12-13 to avoid the worst record in franchise history. A 7-18 finish sidesteps the indignity of 100 losses. Heck, a 6-9 mark over the final 15 road games would prevent a new low, a stunning achievement for a team that won 10 of its first 50 in visiting parks.
“We wish we had played better early in the season because now we would be contending for first place,” Cook said. “But we’re showing we are nobody’s little pushover.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
