The Rockies haven’t had a winning season since 2000, so it’s of little wonder the phrase “pennant race” is not uttered lightly in their clubhouse.
But those magic words rolled off a lot of tongues Sunday afternoon after the Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6. Manager Clint Hurdle said them. So did Todd Helton and Jamey Carroll.
“This is what you work for your whole offseason, or your whole life, to be in this position,” Helton said. “Now we just have to take advantage of it.”
In the ever-tightening National League West race, the Rockies closed on the lead pack Sunday, moving 3 1/2 games behind virtual co-leaders Los Angeles and Arizona. San Diego, which beat up Houston 18-11 on Sunday, is half a game out of first place.
“We’ve been able to put our foot down at home, and we have gotten better across the board. And guys are picking each other up,” Hurdle said.
Colorado is 18-5 at Coors Field since June 2 and has won a team-record eight consecutive home series. But next comes the hard part: a six-day, six-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Miami, followed by three games in Atlanta.
While the Rockies venture away from home with a weak 23-30 road record, they are packing a few positives with them. Start with the continuing development of rookie right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Frequently lighting up the radar gun at 98 mph Sunday, Jimenez earned the first victory of his major-league career. Making his fourth big-league start, the 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic pitched six innings of four-hit ball, striking out three and walking three.
“It was hard to describe, but it was great,” he said. “I had some big butterflies.”
Jimenez allowed just two runs. The first came in the fourth inning on a double by Russell Martin and an RBI single by Jeff Kent, who went 4-for-5 with three RBIs. The Dodgers’ Martin-Kent combo pushed across another run in the sixth when they hit back-to-back doubles.
But Jimenez defused that Dodgers rally by snaring Luis Gonzalez’s grounder up the middle, then whirling to catch Kent off second base.
“He’s done a fine job showing some poise and some mound presence out there,” Hurdle said.
By winning two of three games from L.A., the Rockies took a series from the Dodgers for the first time since Sept. 12-14, 2005. During that span, the Dodgers held a 7-0-1 series edge over Colorado.
The usual suspects continued to produce Sunday. Matt Holliday went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in the third and an RBI single in the sixth as the Rockies handed Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (7-1) his first loss of the season. The homer was Holliday’s 20th of the season and the fourth in his past six games. Colorado improved to 15-3 when Holliday hits a longball.
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who is quietly becoming a force with his bat, went 3-for-5, including a solo homer in the Rockies’ three-run third. He’s hitting .282, second among NL catchers behind the Dodgers’ Martin (.301).
But role players are emerging, too. On Sunday, it was Jamey Carroll’s turn. With second baseman Kazuo Matsui in a deep slump – just 6-for-48 since the all-star break before hitting a pitch-hit, RBI single in the seventh Sunday – Carroll got the start. He responded with two hits, including a key two-run single in the sixth, and two stolen bases. Carroll has hit safely in 13 of his past 15 starts at a .356 clip, and he’s hitting .391 (9-for-23) over his past six games.
“I’ve been flat awful with runners in scoring position,” Carroll said. “But I’ve been better at it lately. I’m just going out and trying to see the ball better and just put it in play. I’m starting to get comfortable up there, and I’m just happy I can contribute.”
Staff writer Patrick Saunderscan be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
