Los Angeles – The noise reverberated throughout the stadium in the eighth inning, so loud it was impossible to think. What happened to the Rockies on a cool Tuesday night was, however, impossible to miss, another chapter in an evil Hollywood script.
In a game featuring intensity better suited to September than April, the plot turned on two moments, both of which worked against the Rockies.
As such they woke up 2-1 losers to the Dodgers, reunited with mediocrity.
That Colorado is 4-4 is hard to fathom given that its starting pitchers continue to punch the clock for six innings. But Rodrigo Lopez could only watch, helplessly chewing on a paper cup as the bullpens wandered into the spotlight.
Two moments.
Somehow Dodgers left-hander Joe Beimel slithered out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, inducing a double-play cue ball from Matt Holliday on the same sinker that the left fielder lined for a base hit the day before.
“That was not a good pitch to hit in that situation,” Holliday said. “My aggressiveness got the better of me.”
Byung-Hyun Kim couldn’t restrain the Dodgers in his second inning of work. After a scoreless seventh, he opened the eighth with a walk. It was a precursor to trouble. Juan Pierre deposited a single, leaving runners on first and third. Manager Clint Hurdle stuck with Kim against Russell Martin. The catcher smoked a flyball to left field, ushering home the winning run.
“I was trying to stay away and I came too far back in,” Kim said. “They said if the game was tied I was going back out there and if we had a lead, it was (Manny) Corpas. I didn’t make my pitch.”
His mistake wouldn’t have been relevant if not for Beimel’s escape. After walking Todd Helton to load the bases, Beimel faced Holliday. The numbers tilted in the Rockies’ favor, given that Holliday torched left-handers last season at a .327 clip. However, he inexplicably ticked the ball off the end of his bat, making his demise as simple as 1-2-3. Beimel tossed to the catcher Martin, who erased Holliday by a foot at first base.
“I liked our chances,” Garrett Atkins said. “Nine out of 10 times Matt’s going to get a run home in that situation.”
With a win, the Rockies would have matched last season’s victory total at Dodger Stadium. All signs pointed toward a win. Lopez has exceeded expectations, eating innings and working more efficiently than a metronome. He suffocated the Dodgers, yielding just one run on five hits in six innings. He has thrown just 144 pitches in 13 innings this season.
Unlike his debut, the satisfaction came in the work, not the result. He left trailing, outpitched by Mr. Multitasker, Brett Tomko. Tomko spent part of Tuesday engaged in an online chat for the team’s website. Earlier this season, he sketched a portrait of Jackie Robinson that will be handed out to fans Sunday. His outing Tuesday was nothing short of a masterpiece.
“I made a few mistakes earlier in the game. I knew I had to adjust because Tomko was throwing well,” Lopez said. “When they took him out, it was relief for me because he was dealing but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”
Tough to take
The Rockies fell to 2-3 on their current nine-game road trip, with each loss by one run:
April 6: Rockies 4, Padres 3
Jason Hirsh outpitches Greg Maddux.
April 7: Padres 3, Rockies 2
Adrian Gonzalez doubles to win game.
April 8: Padres 2, Rockies 1
Kevin Kouzmanoff singles to win game in 10th inning.
April 9: Rockies 6, Dodgers 3
Garrett Atkins homers, has three RBIs.
April 10: Dodgers 2, Rockies 1
Matt Holliday hits into double play with bases loaded and one out in eighth inning of 1-1 game.
Staff writer Troy E. Renckcan be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
