The Rockies keep rolling out the surprises.
First there was rookie reliever Ramon Ramirez, who opened his big-league career by pitching 15 1/3 scoreless innings.
Next came Jamey Carroll. Initially tabbed a utility infielder, he quickly claimed the starting job at second base and is hitting .326, second-best on the team.
Now it’s Josh Fogg’s turn to turn heads.
The scrappy right-hander earned his team-leading seventh victory Wednesday night as the Rockies defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3 and remained tied with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
The Rockies moved four games above .500 at 44-40, the franchise’s third-best start in its 14-year history. And by taking two of three from the Giants at Coors Field, the Rockies won their fifth consecutive series. They hadn’t done that in more than six years, since May 19-June 4, 2000.
Fogg’s performance Wednesday lacked the flair and panache of his two-hit shutout against the Mariners in Seattle last Friday.
This outing was more of the blue-collar variety, but it did the job.
Fogg gave up seven hits in seven innings, including homers to Pedro Feliz and Eliezer Alfonzo. Both homers were solo shots, enabling Fogg to shrug them off and go about his business.
“I think the goal of the pitcher is to go out there and have the team win games, whether he gets the win or not,” Fogg said after being told the Rockies are 10-7 in games he starts. “Early on in my career, somebody said, ‘Winning games in this league is luck, but the team winning on your start day is what’s important.”‘
But more than luck is involved in Fogg’s emergence and personal three-game win streak. By using his changeup with more regularity, and keeping walks to a minimum, Fogg is a different pitcher than the one who went from mid-April to mid-June with just one victory.
“He has the ability now to slow down, instead of trying to hurry and almost make something up,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “Just slowing down, concentrating on what he needs to do, and on what location he wants to go to. That, I think, has really been the key for him.”
Fogg got all the support he needed in the Rockies’ four-run second inning. All-star outfielder Matt Holliday led off with a homer to right field, his 16th of the season. Yorvit Torrealba followed with a run-scoring single, before Carroll slapped a two-run single through the box.
Alfonzo, the Giants’ catcher, also hit a solo homer off closer Brian Fuentes in the ninth. Alfonzo’s second homer of the night was more problematic, because Lance Niekro followed it with a single that brought the tying run to the plate. But Fuentes induced Todd Greene to ground out to third baseman Garrett Atkins to end the game, giving Fuentes his 16th save.
An important footnote was the performance of veteran reliever Ray King in the eighth. He forced the Giants into three quick groundouts. King came in with something to prove, having allowed seven runs in his past 10 games.
“I got some encouragement from Clint,” King said. “He said he hadn’t seen that swagger that I had to begin the year. I took that as constructive criticism, to where I had to get out there and challenge hitters. Tonight was about putting it in the strike zone, letting them beat it into the ground and getting out of there.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
