Phoenix – Aaron Cook’s ugly numbers and Todd Helton’s frustration painted a vivid picture of the Rockies’ 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.
Cook threw 111 pitches in just 4 2/3 innings and Helton was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire James Hoye in the seventh.
But wait, it gets worse. The loss was the Rockies’ 10th in their past 11 games, dropping them five games below .500 (45-50) for the first time this season. Colorado fell to 15-22 against the NL West.
With his trusty sinkerball betraying him, Cook was battered by Arizona batters, who scalded him for five runs on 11 hits. Proof of Cook’s struggles came from this odd marriage of facts: it was his shortest outing of the season, but his 111 pitches were the most he’s thrown.
The Diamondbacks’ big inning was the third, when they scored four runs on five hits. Three Diamondbacks runs came with two outs, courtesy of a run-scoring double by Johnny Estrada, an RBI single by Orlando Hudson and a run-scoring triple by Stephen Drew over the head of Rockies center fielder Choo Freeman.
Helton, batting .287 after going 0-for-4, was ejected after he struck out and then turned to argue with Hoye over what Helton thought was a checked swing.
Colorado’s meager offense was generated by a run-scoring groundout from Yorvit Torrealba in the fourth, and a solo homer by Garrett Atkins in the sixth.
Sullivan sits
Cory Sullivan’s position at the start of Friday’s game – on the bench – provided further proof he’s lost his job as the Rockies’ starting center fielder. That role has been assumed by Freeman.
Freeman, a right-handed hitter, started, despite the fact the Diamondbacks had right-hander Claudio Vargas on the mound. Sullivan, a left-handed batter, must find a way to begin producing offensively before the Rockies will insert him as an everyday player.
Sullivan is hitting .273 with an on-base percentage of .315 and 68 strikeouts in 271 at-bats.
Those numbers have trumped Sullivan’s skills as an outfielder.
“Offensively, there have been some challenges for him this year,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Aside from the first couple weeks of the season when he had some extra-base hits, those have been limited. And the walks (16) and stolen bases (five in eight attempts), they really aren’t happening. But the strikeouts have been happening.”
Hurdle is eager to see what Freeman can do when he’s given a chance to play on a regular basis.
“I want to give Choo an opportunity so at the end of the season we don’t have anymore questions about Choo,” Hurdle said. “He had a nice series against Pittsburgh (4-for-7, with three RBIs in the last two games), so I want to see if he can keep that going. See if he can ride some of that momentum.”
Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, raising his average to .272.
Hurdle made it clear, however, he remains intrigued by Sullivan’s potential.
“Defensively, he’s as good as there is in the National League,” Hurdle said. “That’s why you don’t want to just turn your back and walk away from him.”
Snakebites
It was a night of milestones for the Diamondbacks.
Right fielder Shawn Green singled up the middle in the first, scoring Chad Tracy to give Arizona a 1-0 lead and earning his 1,000th career RBI. Left fielder Luis Gonzalez’s third-inning double was the 526th of his career, tying him with Dave Parker for 30th on baseball’s all-time list. He entered the game tied with Ted Williams.
New lefty
In a continuing search for bullpen help, the Rockies signed left-hander Mike Venafro and assigned him to Triple-A Colorado Springs. He began the season with Cincinnati’s Triple-A team in Indianapolis. Venafo has pitched for four major-league teams, most recently with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004. He’s 14-10 with five saves and a 4.11 ERA.
Footnotes
The Rockies have no interest in reliever Cliff Politte, recently released by the White Sox. They have also cooled on Baltimore reliever LaTroy Hawkins. … Catcher Danny Ardoin was hit in the hand while batting and pulled from his rehab assignment for his knee injury. He will restart his rehab July 24-25, with a new 20-day window allowable before a decision must be made. … Infielder Kazuo Matsui is also expected to return at the same time from a back injury. Matsui will likely need three weeks of consistent playing time for the Rockies to determine if he can help them in September. … Reliever David Cortes was expected to report to Colorado Springs on Friday. He was in San Diego with the club’s permission to attend to a family matter.
Denver Post staff writer Troy E. Renck contributed to this report.
Staff writer Patrick Saunderscan be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
