Phoenix – As the Rockies’ once promising 2006 season fades to black, one thing has become crystal clear: Facing a quality pitcher on the road is too much for them.
Especially when the man on the hill is Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb, pitching at the top of his game.
Webb, a prime candidate for the National League Cy Young Award, threw his fifth complete game of the season Friday night as the Diamondbacks rolled to a 5-1 win.
Webb (16-6) allowed six hits and struck out 10, matching his season high. Webb finished with a flourish, striking out Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe and Ryan Spilborghs in the ninth. Webb retired 20-of-21 batters from the first through seventh innings.
Webb baffled the Rockies just a day after they managed just two hits in a 5-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants and rookie ace Matt Cain. Cain threw eight shutout innings.
The Rockies managed to get to Webb early, scoring their run in the first when Jamey Carroll led off with a single, moved to third on Todd Helton’s single and scored on Webb’s wild pickoff throw to first.
But after that, the Rockies’ offense, tangled up in Webb’s assortment of sinkers, curves and fastballs, grew stagnant. At one point, Webb set down 16 Rockies in a row until Helton hit a one-out double in the sixth.
Rockies starter Byung-Hyun Kim was no match for Webb, but he pitched relatively effectively, allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings.
Holliday’s glove
Holliday has enjoyed a magical season with his bat, but he still has a ways to go as a left fielder. That raises the possibility Holliday could be pulled in late innings next season when the Rockies are protecting a lead.
“Truth be told, we might have a more dynamic outfield next year,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “You get to the point where you have to ask, ‘Do you want your three best outfielders in the game late?’ Because if you did, Matt might not be one of them.”
Hurdle said he wanted Holliday to play extensively in the outfield this season, and he hopes Holliday will work on his throwing skills in the offseason.
“We wanted Matt to get better and be out there and work at it. He’s made some mistakes, and hopefully grown from them,” Hurdle said.
Gonzo for Gonzo
Popular left fielder Luis Gonzalez, the face of the Diamondbacks, was told by the club Thursday he won’t be playing for Arizona next season. Gonzalez, 39, is in the final year of his contract and will go into the offseason as a free agent.
Friday night, fans at Chase Field showed Gonzalez how much they loved him, greeting him a prolonged standing ovation when he came to the plate in the first inning. He said thanks with a sacrifice fly to drive in Arizona’s first run.
Diamondbacks fans weren’t the only ones tipping their hat Gonzalez’s way.
“He’s a special player, probably along the same lines of what Vinny Castilla meant to this club … a class act,” Hurdle said. “He’s a very professional hitter.”
The Yankees might be coming
The Rockies’ 2007 schedule is expected to be released Tuesday and there’s a good chance the New York Yankees will be coming to Coors Field. According to the schedule draft that teams received earlier this summer, the Rockies will travel to Boston’s Fenway Park to face the Red Sox during the second week of June. The expectation is that the Yankees will return to Denver for the first time since 2002.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
