There was never a doubt from the moment it left the bat, darted through the warm May sky and cleared the center-field fence. It was measured at 422 feet. The meaning was more important than the distance.
With one swing, the offense was back. Brad Hawpe’s three-run home run in the fourth inning Tuesday delivered a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and a message.
The Rockies, for five years the National League West’s resident homecoming opponent, don’t plan on being April Fools or providing told-you-so moments to critics who universally picked them to finish in last place.
“I think people are waiting for Brad and waiting for us as a team to not do well and go away so they don’t have to pay attention to us anymore,” left fielder Matt Holliday said.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
A baby step toward veracity occurred against the Dodgers, the Rockies shaking loose from their first funk of the season. Until the past week, Colorado had endured off-field hiccups – the loss of Todd Helton for two weeks, an injury to reliever Mike DeJean – but was spared a box score slump.
The Rockies, however, stumbled into Tuesday with a lineup that had averaged 2.8 runs and hit .195 (38-for-195) the previous six games. They walked away with an impressive win against pitcher Derek Lowe, who hadn’t given up more than two earned runs in his past seven starts.
Manager Clint Hurdle was partly responsible for this. Rather than provide a pregame speech, he opted for a pregame switch, altering his lineup. He moved Garrett Atkins to second, shoved Holliday into the cleanup spot, and nudged Hawpe from sixth to fifth. Hurdle kept Helton in the three hole only because “he needs to drop another 5 to 10 pounds to hit second,” joked Hurdle.
Helton, Holliday and Hawpe went 8-for-12 and scored all the Rockies’ runs. Doesn’t the Mastermind coach the Broncos?
“My biggest satisfaction is seeing the players have success,” Hurdle said with a smile.
None is more intriguing than Hawpe. When the season began, he represented one of the biggest question marks. He limped toward the finish line a year ago, amplifying doubts on whether he could play every day.
A quarter into the season, the circumstantial evidence is compelling. With relaxed hands and better pitch selection, Hawpe is hitting .340. His 10th home run, a three-run blast in the fourth inning on a Lowe slider, eclipsed last year’s total in 164 fewer at-bats.
“You don’t get here by accident,” Lowe said. “I absolutely think (he can be for real).”
Hawpe’s laser into the seats – only his third home run at Coors Field – made a winner of unusually wild Byung-Hyun Kim. He didn’t just flirt with danger. He sent a Hallmark card and a box of chocolates. At least in the first inning.
The right-hander threw 29 pitches, three of which hit the backstop, issued three walks and managed to wiggle away by surrendering just one run after Hawpe – who else? – nailed Kenny Lofton at the plate for the first out.
“It was an exciting play by Hawpe,” said Kim, who threw almost exclusively fastballs over his final six innings because a previous thumb injury affected the grip on his slider. “I got better when I got my balance back.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
