Boston – Brad Hawpe doesn’t hide his LSU pride. Three hours before tonight’s game, prompted by a visitor, he began reeling off the names of the big leaguers from the Tigers’ 2000 national championship team. Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot and Aaron Hill are among the alums.
None has done more this season than Hawpe, who after a slow start, is Autobahning toward the all-star break.
The slugger belted a three-run home run off Curt Schilling, the defining blast on a night the Rockies’ crushed the Red Sox 12-2 on a frigid Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
The Rockies were white-knuckling a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Hawpe stepped in against Schilling. Schilling flirted with a no-hitter in his last outing. By the time he left after the fifth, every Rockie but Todd Helton and Ryan Spilborghs had a hit. The Rockies’ 12 runs were the most in a visiting ballpark this season.
Schilling hung a changeup to Hawpe, who smoked it into the right-field seats. It was his ninth home run. He only had one after the first 37 games.
That was plenty of cushion for Josh Fogg and a crew of able relievers. Fogg rolled up his sleeves, grinding through five innings, while yielding just two runs. He picked up his first win since April 25 against the New York Mets.
Staked to a lead, the Rockies spent the final four innings inflating the ERAs of Boston’s previously stout relievers. Kyle Snyder absorbed the most damage after Javier Lopez couldn’t bail him out in the sixth. Helton doubled home three runs off his former teammate. He later added an RBI groundout.
Helton’s four RBIs matched his total from May 12 through Tuesday, a streak spanning 27 games. The Rockies will attempt to win their fourth consecutive road series Thursday when they face undefeated Josh Beckett, who is 5-0 at Fenway this season.
Staff writer Troy Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
