Matt Holliday has been guilty of a lot of things in his big-league career: Debunking stereotypes about late-blooming prospects, punishing baseballs and embodying what can go right when a team goes young.
But Saturday night, the accusation made against him came as a surprise. San Francisco Giants starter Barry Zito said Holliday cheated – baseball parlance for positioning a stance to suit a certain zone – in crushing his first-inning home run.
“I just try to be stupid up there and keep it simple,” said Holliday, who added another home run in the fifth inning. “He’s giving me way too much credit.”
The pitch in question, a fastball, is a good place to start when explaining why the Rockies won 6-2 Saturday night before an announced crowd of 33,569, the largest since opening day.
While opponent familiarity conspired against Zito – this is the third time he has faced the Rockies since April 16 – his errant location undermined him. Holliday smoked the 1-0 heater, providing the Rockies a three-run cushion. With one swing, the Rockies scored more runs off Zito than they had in the previous 13 innings against him.
“Zito was out of rhythm in that inning,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy of the forgettable first that saw the ace left-hander throw 32 pitches and get tagged for two home runs. “He couldn’t get the ball down.”
Jeff Francis provided the rebuttal to Zito’s faulty command. Francis carried a career-high, four-game losing streak into the game, in large part because he was unable to spot his fastball inside effectively to right-handers. That pitch appeared repeatedly Saturday, leading to 10 groundball outs, while limiting the Giants to two runs over eight innings.
His handiwork provided much-needed relief for a beleaguered bullpen. The Rockies’ relief corps – in line for a makeover with Ramon Ramirez and LaTroy Hawkins returning soon – couldn’t protect a lead Friday night and has permitted 19 of 38 inherited runners to score.
Only all-star closer Brian Fuentes was necessary to finish off the Giants. Though not a save situation, he drew the attention of the lively crowd by striking out Barry Bonds, previously 8-for-10 with two homers off him, on three consecutive sliders.
“It’s a new year,” Fuentes said of facing Bonds. “That’s the mind-set you have to take. It was gratifying getting him out, but no more than anyone else.”
The Rockies were taking a similar approach to the victory, insisting they can’t get carried away with one game in May. Still, if they want to prove their disappointing start is an anomaly, they must win games like this – at home and against a National League West rival.
The Rockies are only 8-8 at Coors Field, where, helped by Jeff Baker, they hit a season-high three home runs Saturday. And they are just 11-14 against the West.
“We know we are going to have to win in the division because we play those teams more than anyone else,” Francis said. “But I don’t sense a lack of confidence. We still come in here every day expecting to win.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
