Cincinnati – In Section 108 of Great American Ball Park, fried Twinkies are available. A few aisles over, fans can spoil themselves with famous Skyline spaghetti chili.
All Aaron Cook has been starving for is a win. After 1,176 pitches, 12 starts and seven cities, the Rockies’ ace finally tasted victory. Though covered in crumbs and shirt stains, Cook survived five-plus innings as Colorado toppled the Reds 9-7 on a misty Saturday night.
It was Cook’s first win since Aug. 27 against San Diego. It was the Rockies’ first road series win of the season.
“It’s nice to get my first win in the second month of the season,” Cook said with a smile. “This was big for us. Hopefully it gets us rolling.”
For eight months, it appeared it would take an acetylene torch to remove Cook’s label of tough-luck pitcher. He was a victim of poor run support, no-run support and, at times, his own mediocrity (0-4, 4.67 ERA during the drought).
The Rockies staged a (home) run for the roses on this Kentucky Derby day. No longer in the humidor’s grip, they went deep twice, with two-run blasts from rookie catcher Chris Iannetta and slugger Matt Holliday – the Rockies’ first multihomer road game of the season.
The extra yardage went a long way toward saving Cook. With 500 friends and family members cheering him on from the second deck above the third-base line – his wife Holly purchased the tickets – Cook managed to grind out a decision. The Reds tagged him for five runs in 5 1/3 innings, a two-run pinch-hit home run by Edwin Encarnacion paving his exit.
A month ago, certainly a week ago, the Rockies would have found a creative way to relinquish a 6-5 lead and lose this game. Their inability to step on an opponent’s throat has eaten at manager Clint Hurdle. He realizes that while a playoff berth can’t be secured in six weeks, it can be squandered.
“You watch a Broadway play and there are (actors) who are like, ‘Whew, it’s over.’ And there are those always looking for ways to improve. They want it now,” Hurdle said. “And that’s the next step for this club. To want more all the time.”
With the win, the Rockies crept to 13-17 and stayed within five games of the first-place Dodgers. Before Saturday, the Rockies hadn’t posted back- to-back victories since April 18. This one resonated in the clubhouse because of the layered contributions. The maligned lineup produced 14 hits. Iannetta’s home run was his first, slamming a low Todd Coffey fastball into the left-field seats.
After Holliday’s team-best fifth home run, the bullpen, a day-to-day proposition because of injuries and ineffectiveness, managed to duct- tape the door shut. Denny Bautista recorded five outs, hitting 95 miles per on the radar gun and all of his spots because of a revamped delivery in which he uses a slide-step from the stretch.
Tom Martin’s first outing in five days created drama and more uncertainty about his roster spot. Manny Corpas permitted two of Martin’s runners to score, shaving the deficit to two runs. But Hurdle stuck with Corpas against Ken Griffey Jr., despite Griffey’s hitless career (0-for-3, two strikeouts) against closer Brian Fuentes.
His strikeout justified the decision and secured the type of win the Rockies would like to define them this month.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
