Los Angeles – For a baseball team to become a legend of the fall, it must deliver in August. The players must wander into unruly environments and walk off with a swagger. They must deal with pressure.
In a city in which everything is famous for being fake – from body parts to smiles and friendships – the reality of the Rockies’ 3-1 victory Wednesday night resonated on many levels.
That Colorado won, snapping the Dodgers’ 11- game winning streak, wasn’t as impressive as how.
“It’s part of us getting better,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said, “and growing up.”
A team can have its heart ground in a blender only so many times before the damage is too hard to overcome. As such it’s impossible to overstate the importance of the ninth inning.
With two out, including the pivotal erasing of Jamey Carroll at third base, Brad Hawpe strode to the plate. These moments have held more power over Hawpe than any other position player. He has not hit well with runners in scoring position, admittedly trying to do too much.
But this night had a different vibe. Hawpe spent the evening overwhelming Dodgers starter Derek Lowe. Hawpe homered in the fifth, his second in three games after a six-week drought. And he singled in the seventh, graduating his lifetime statistics against Lowe from special to Nintendo. He was 8-for-14 with three home runs.
Manager Grady Little knew enough not to challenge the Rockies’ right fielder in the ninth. At least not with Lowe. Rookie closer Takashi Saito was summoned to douse the blaze. As Saito warmed up, the entire infield played musical chairs, with Wilson Betemit moving to third, Julio Lugo to second and Jeff Kent to first.
The versatility tied the Dodgers in knots on the very next pitch. Hawpe smoked a line drive that handcuffed a tentative Lugo. That two-out hit, so scarce this season, pushed across the winning run and restored confidence where doubt had begun to linger.
“I know I am up here for a reason, and you remind yourself of that,” said Hawpe, who smashed a slider from Saito. “It’s fun to come through for the team.”
This was the Rockies’ first victory at Dodger Stadium this season in six attempts and the type of game Colorado has let escape for weeks. Hawpe’s shots deserve credit, but the spotlight would not have found him if not for the bullpen.
Jeff Francis was terrific, maintaining the major leagues’ lowest ERA since July 1. He surrendered just one run in 7 1/3 innings.
That discretion, however, threatened to sabotage him when Rafael Furcal led off the eighth with a double.
Rookie Manuel Corpas, who had antifreeze running through his veins, and Jeremy Affeldt choked off the rally. Corpas, after hitting pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz, induced a harmless popup from Kent with the bases loaded. Affeldt retired Andre Ethier with a groundball to second.
“For (Hurdle) to show that confidence in me means a lot,” Affeldt said. “As a reliever, you never want to give up inherited runners. I made the pitch I wanted, we got out of it and Hawpe really came through. That was a big hit, the kind that get a team hot.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
