At the end of a hot, sweaty Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, Jason Jennings managed a satisfied smile.
In a game the Rockies perceived as a crucial point in their season, Jennings didn’t have his best stuff. That was apparent in the first inning when he gave up a single and a walk – and again in the fourth when he was rescued by an inning-ending double play.
Jennings knew his right arm was missing its usual magic. But he kept on grinding, lifting the Rockies to a 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres.
“I’m more satisfied in a game like this than I am when I throw really well, when I have my best stuff and I throw eight or nine innings,” Jennings said. “On those days, you feel like you are supposed to win. But today I got out of some jams and made the big pitches when I needed to most.”
Jennings allowed one run on six hits in seven innings. The command he showed last week in a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals – a mere four hits allowed in nine innings – was absent Sunday. But his growing maturity was on full display. Under a searing sun, and with the Rockies’ season on the brink, he never lost his cool.
“I knew how important this game was,” he said. “I knew we need to win.”
A loss Sunday would have dealt the Rockies a huge blow in their quest for a National League West title. Simple math told that story: If the Rockies lost on Sunday, they would have landed 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Padres in the division, exactly where they stood when the four-game series began Thursday. But after losing five consecutive series, the Rockies (50-54) beat the Padres three times and moved within 4 1/2 games of the West lead. The Padres’ lead over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks slipped to 1 1/2 games.
With the Milwaukee Brewers starting a three-game series at Coors Field tonight, the Rockies sounded like a reborn team.
“We are right there,” first baseman Todd Helton said. “I’m very excited. I can’t wait to get to the ballpark tomorrow.”
While Jennings toughed it out, Colorado’s offense continued to sputter, with just seven hits. Run-scoring singles by Garrett Atkins and Helton gave the Rockies a 2-0 lead in the first. Matt Holliday’s 19th homer, an opposite-field shot in the fourth, provided a cushion. But it was Jennings who was the difference-maker.
“It all starts with J.J.,” Helton said. “He pretty much shut them down, and that’s a pretty good-hitting team.”
Jennings earned his first win since beating Oakland on June 20, snapping a three-game losing streak and defeating the Padres for the fourth straight time.
“Players grow, they mature and they get better,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “Today was a perfect example. J.J. was able to control what he could control. He made key pitches at key times and got key outs.”
The fourth inning provided the best illustration. San Diego’s Mark Bellhorn opened with a single, then Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes booted Josh Barfield’s sharp grounder, putting two on with nobody out. Jennings gritted his teeth and struck out opposing pitcher Mike Thompson before inducing Dave Roberts into a double-play grounder. Crisis averted.
In the eighth, Rockies reliever Ray King gave up a double to Adrian Gonzalez before striking out Josh Bard. In came Jose Mesa, who struck out Khalil Greene and got Terrmel Sledge to ground out.
Brian Fuentes set down the Padres in order in the ninth for his 19th save.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
