Miami – There is no perforated edge to the Rockies’ season. No easy opening. This team rips things apart with its teeth, scavenging for scraps.
On a day when they lost out in their pursuit of rotation and bullpen reinforcements, on a day when they lost starter Rodrigo Lopez to a season-ending injury, the Rockies still won, trouncing the Florida Marlins 6-3 on Tuesday night at Dolphin Stadium.
With resilience its defining characteristic, this club is tougher to kill than Chuck Norris. The Rockies open August thinking playoffs, sitting just 3 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.
“We are a good team playing with a lot of confidence,” said third baseman Garrett Atkins, whose three-run, third-inning double fueled a 10-hit attack. “We didn’t do anything (at Tuesday’s nonwaiver trading deadline), but the guys in here have done well the last two months so it’s not like we needed anyone else.”
Ideally, the Rockies would have added another proven starter – Matt Morris and Jon Garland were chased – capable of gobbling up innings and providing leadership. But it’s possible they already had one and didn’t know it. After a helpful discussion with manager Clint Hurdle and pitching coach Bob Apodaca five weeks ago, Aaron Cook had an epiphany.
He finally bought into the idea that a heavy sinker is better than a harder one, and committed to throwing more straight fastballs.
The results have been chillingly effective. Cook is 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA in his past seven outings. In essence, his four-seam fastball works as a secondary pitch. He rides the outside corner with it, leaving hitters vulnerable when he returns to his trademark bowling ball fastball on their hands. Of his 106 pitches, nine were four-seamers, blended nicely with six sliders behind the game-calling of personal catcher Chris Iannetta.
“It’s just enough to keep them off my sinker,” said Cook, who worked 7 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. “This was a big win, a good way to start off the trip.”
Cook’s evolution hasn’t gone unnoticed by teammates. With two of the team’s best pitchers gone – Lopez is out for the season with a torn flexor tendon and closer Brian Fuentes will finally throw a bullpen session today as he begins his slow climb back – Cook is pitching with freedom. He no longer carries the burden that accompanied his opening-day start expectations.
“I have definitely seen a difference,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “He’s challenging the hitters in the strike zone, basically saying, ‘Hit it if you can.”‘
Part of the reason the state hasn’t fastened seat belts on the purple bandwagon can be traced to the Rockies’ road problems. However, they are 6-5 in their past 11 games in visiting parks. Manager Clint Hurdle understands that “people think we don’t have enough pitching,” but believes this team’s success has roots because of the players’ camaraderie and their ability to beat good pitching.
On Tuesday, they battered a mediocre arm, tasering Scott Olsen for six runs in five innings. Matt Holliday pounded out three hits. Willy Taveras broke from his slump. But in the end, as Atkins said, it came down to the pitches thrown, not hit.
“With what Cook did,” Atkins said, “you don’t worry about who you didn’t get (Tuesday).”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
