Jeff Francis stood at his locker Monday – no emotions on his sleeve, let alone open windows into his psyche – and answered questions with his usual intelligence.
There was no flamboyance, just focus. The only evidence the Rockies had extended their winning streak to six games with a convincing 6-2 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals was the lightly playing background music and spattering of smiles.
“We have always expected to play like this,” said Francis, whose team will attempt to claim its seventh straight victory tonight, a feat not accomplished since Sept. 12, 1998. “Nobody motivates us more than ourselves. We aren’t winning so they don’t write bad things about us.”
Francis has been immune from criticism for a month. His performance on a sun-bleached afternoon before the season’s third-largest crowd extended a terrific run for a rotation that welcomes back Rodrigo Lopez tonight. The starters are 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA during a streak in which the team has come together, with Francis growing in stature.
The Cardinals’ lineup brought the first hint of Francis’ evolution. Even with shortstop David Eckstein (back) and Scott Rolen (mild concussion) out, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa elected to rest regulars Yadier Molina, Chris Duncan and Jim Edmonds. Why not give someone else a chance against Francis? After all, he is now 4-1 with a 2.28 ERA lifetime against the Cardinals.
To understand Francis’ development, think of a puzzle and a clock. Todd Helton, though he sat out Monday, said the conversations at first base have become telling this season. A parade of opponents in May – when the left- hander posted a 2.23 ERA – was unable to put the pieces together against Francis.
“The hitters say: ‘We don’t know what’s happening. We can’t figure this guy out,”‘ Helton said. “A lot of times, they will say a guy has great stuff. But when they start saying things like that, you know he’s reached the point where he’s a good pitcher.”
Against the Cardinals, Francis relied heavily on his sinker, a pitch he added two years ago, to induce 12 groundball outs. That only made his changeup and curveball, a weapon in the later innings, more effective. But beyond his pitches was his rhythm. Francis, who was admittedly gassed after 99 pitches, has an uncanny ability to make hitters feel out of sync.
“We all have an internal timing clock in our heads that helps us get ready to hit. And there’s just something different and quicker about his delivery,” Cardinals shortstop Aaron Miles said. “He looks slow and all of a sudden, the ball’s on you.”
To some degree, this stretch of Rockies excellence came out of nowhere. Colorado stumbled to a 4-6 homestand and embarked on a road trip last week that had a now-or-never vibe. The Rockies won their final five games, including three in San Francisco, where they had never swept a series at Candlestick, 3Com, Pac-Bell, SBC or, until Sunday, AT&T Park.
Although better pitching is largely responsibly for the U-turn, the offense has finally ramped up. Monday’s game brought the first home runs during this streak – Matt Holliday’s ninth and Brad Hawpe’s sixth – but Colorado still has outscored foes 28-11.
That speaks to the havoc that Willy Taveras and Kaz Matsui are creating on the bases, allowing the team to manufacture runs without big blasts.
“They don’t play the game the same as everybody else because they are faster than everybody else,” said Hawpe, before emphasizing, “Our pitching lately has been unbelievable, and I would say it all starts with them. We follow whatever they do.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
