Heroes have been hard to find for the Rockies in recent weeks. That is why Sunday afternoon’s turn of events at Coors Field was so gut wrenching.
It’s no secret that Todd Helton, the Rockies’ longtime superhero, has been struggling mightily. Yet when he smashed a two-run homer in the seventh to give the Rockies a 5-4 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, all seemed right at 20th and Blake.
But in the ninth, the Dodgers struck back, scoring two runs off usually untouchable closer Brian Fuentes to win 6-5.
It was like watching Superman finally escape kryptonite’s grip, only to see Batman done in by the Riddler.
“I’m still good, but I just wasn’t that good today,” Fuentes said after blowing just his second save this season. “It bothers me, but I’m not going to let the rest of my day be ruined. I’ll definitely think about it, because more than anything, it hurts that I let my team down.”
And make no mistake, this was a big loss for the Rockies. For one thing, they fell to 2-7 this season against Los Angeles on a day when the Dodgers moved past Arizona into first place in the National League West. For another, the Rockies’ homestand came to an end with a disappointing 3-6 record.
Finally, the timing of Sunday’s loss was lousy, because the Rockies now face a hot, humid, seven-day, seven-game trip, beginning tonight in Washington, D.C., and then moving on to St. Louis.
Manager Clint Hurdle, buoyed by Helton’s homer and a slump-denting, 3-for-4 day by center fielder Cory Sullivan, tried to wax philosophical about where the Rockies (30-32) stand.
“We’ve got 100 games in front of us. That’s what makes the journey so interesting,” he said.
Helton’s homer, his fifth of the season, came with two out and Sullivan on second. It was the kind of dramatic shot in the arm the Rockies – now losers of 13 of their past 18 – were in dire need of.
But it all fell apart in the ninth. With one out, pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz doubled to left field. Then Russell Martin scorched a double down the left-field line to score Saenz to tie the game at 5-5. In came Sandy Alomar Jr., pinch-hitting for Kenny Lofton. Alomar singled through the infield into right, driving in Martin with the go-ahead run.
“I was just trying to see the ball,” said Alomar, who had not played in nine days. “Fuentes threw me the same pitch (down and away) three times in a row, so I just decided to go with it.”
Fuentes took his first loss of the season and just his second blown save in his past 32 chances. He was especially unhappy with his pitch to Alomar.
“It was a bad pitch,” he said. “I was trying to elevate the ball, because he’s a big guy, and I didn’t get it up nearly enough. He just tried to keep the ball in play and he did a good job taking advantage of my mistake.”
Dodgers rookie center fielder Matt Kemp put the Rockies in a quick hole, hitting a two-run homer in the first off starter Aaron Cook, then leading off the fourth with a solo home run. They were Kemp’s fifth and sixth homers in just nine games in the majors.
“After about the third inning, I found my pitches and kept battling,” said Cook, in line for his sixth win of the season until Fuentes blew the save. “About four pitches from me hurt us. I battled, but I didn’t battle quite enough.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
