When Brad Hawpe finds his groove, his long, left-handed swing is a thing of beauty.
Wednesday night, in the Rockies’ 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Hawpe’s swing was a Rembrandt.
He hit two homers, a solo shot to right in the fourth and a three-run blast to left in the sixth that broke a 2-2 tie. He now leads the team with four game-winning RBIs.
Both homers came off of Brandon Webb, the reigning National League Cy Young winner who had given up only three homers in his last 14 starts (102 1/3 innings).
Entering Wednesday’s game, Hawpe had hit only one home run, compared to 10 at this point last season.
The Rockies got another boost from starter Aaron Cook. He pitched six solid innings, outdueled Webb, and matched a career-high by winning his third straight game. Cook (3-1) gave up three runs on five hits and didn’t issue a walk.
For a change, the Rockies bullpen did its job without any drama. Ramon Ramirez, back from the disabled list, inherited two base runners from Cook in the seventh, but gave up only one run on a sacrifice by Miguel Montero. Manny Corpas set the Diamondbacks down in order in the eighth and closer Brian Fuentes recorded his 10th save in 11 chances.
