The trouble with being the ace of the Rockies’ staff is this: Just when you finished co-authoring Colorado’s first one-hitter at Coors Field, just when you’ve combined on a record fourth Blake Street shutout this season, just when the magnitude of the accomplishments sinks into the pores, you find yourself deflecting verbal line drives.
Thirty minutes after Jason Jennings and two relievers suffocated Oakland in a 6-0 victory Tuesday, the right-hander bristled at the suggestion he was a Coors Light Field creation because of the humidor.
“It’s ridiculous. There’s gotta be something to explain it, right? The humidor, steroids testing,” Jennings said. “It can’t be that we are just pitching better. You know what? Let them get mad.”
After watching his team get shut out for a second consecutive time, Athletics manager Ken Macha seemed humorless about the humidor. Oakland entered the series riding the crest of a 10-game winning streak, averaging nearly six runs.
The A’s barely managed a hit Tuesday, right fielder Brad Hawpe’s slight juggle of Jason Kendall’s flare to lead off game the only blemish against the Rockies.
“I still feel the (humidor) should be investigated,” Macha said. “Maybe we ought to do that at our ballpark. The ball’s the same weight, but they are sitting in there and getting moisture, so I don’t understand that. It’s like getting your golf ball out of the water – find one out of the water – and you hit that.”
Earlier in the day, Jimmie Lee Solomon, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of operations, predicted more teams would request to use a humidor, given its impact in Denver. He praised the climate-controlled chamber, which keeps the baseballs at manufacturer’s specifications. He said that no team has lodged an official complaint.
“It’s not like we are cheating,” Jennings said. “It just makes the balls more like the ones we use in San Diego or Los Angeles. And it’s still tough to get a grip.”
The idea that a Rockies pitcher would have to defend brilliance at Coors Field, at its core, is comical. What’s next? Lyle Lovett apologizing for marrying Julia Roberts?
Fact remains, Coors Field is a hitter-friendly park. It’s just not a home run hitter’s park. Manager Clint Hurdle is enjoying the simmering controversy – one that began during the home-opening series when Arizona’s Chad Tracy threatened to demolish the humidor with a bat.
“I heard someone say (opponents) thought the ball was bigger,” Hurdle said. “If it gets into their heads, that’s something we can use to our advantage.”
Jennings’ talent is also working heavily in Colorado’s favor. Equipped with a cut fastball that A’s hitters praised without qualification, the 27-year-old extended his streak to 171/3 innings without allowing an earned run. The shutout was the fourth at Coors Field, with 47 home games remaining.
“We have a lot of confidence in our pitchers,” Hawpe said. “With the way Jason was throwing tonight we knew it wasn’t going to take many runs to win.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
