The burnt-orange dusk Tuesday brought out the peculiar, the bizarre and the paranormal in lower downtown. And I don’t mean college students at the end of summer break.
The Rockies-Brewers game was “The Twilight Zone” meets “The X Files” meets the 1962 New York Mets.
In the first inning, Rockies pitcher Jason Hirsh limped to the mound, the lingering effect of a right ankle sprain he suffered on the basepaths July 2. This was his return to the scene for the first time since coming off the disabled list.
In the first inning, J.J. Hardy hit a fireball into Hirsh’s right calf. The Rox didn’t need this – with Rodrigo Lopez on the DL. Hirsh, luckily, wasn’t reinjured, and the bullet ricocheted to third baseman Garrett Atkins, who got the out. Way to take one for the team, Jason.
In the second inning, Milwaukee catcher Johnny Estrada drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly. That doesn’t seem so odd – until you learn that the Brewers scored their first three runs on sacrifice flies – and they had one sacrifice bunt.
In the second inning, the Rockies got runners on second and third with nobody out. After Brad Hawpe struck out, new catcher Edwin Bellorin, playing and batting in his first big-league game, grounded into a double play and stumbled while crossing first base. He was forced to leave the game with a strained hamstring. Bellorin, who had been bouncing around the minor leagues since 1999 waiting for this chance, likely will go on the disabled list or back to the minors and probably will be replaced by the man he replaced the day before, Chris Iannetta. Very briefly, the Rockies had a rare pair – two Venezuelan catchers on the same major-league team at the same time. Last year the Rockies also had two Venezuelan catchers on the roster, but not at the same time.
In the third inning, Hirsh drew a walk and limped to first base. He was immediately picked off. Intentional walks are common, but an intentional pickoff? If so, it was a smart move. Hirsh didn’t need to be running the bases again. Hirsh claimed he didn’t do it on purpose. He should have said he did.
In the fourth inning, Milwaukee’s Bill Hall drove the ball to deep right. The ball popped out of Hawpe’s glove, then popped inexplicably into his bare hand.
In the fourth inning, Todd Helton struck out for the second time, a rare occurrence.
In the fifth inning, Craig Counsell’s fly to right field popped out of Hawpe’s glove and did not pop into his bare hand. The two-base error led to a sacrifice fly and a 2-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Prince Fielder lined a hit to center field, and Ryan Spilborghs permitted the ball to get through him. Fielder was inexplicably awarded a triple. (Later, Spilborghs missed another fly in center, and a double was awarded.) The Rox trailed 3-0.
In the sixth inning, Troy Tulowitzki led off with a home run, followed by four more consecutive hits and an intentional walk. The Rockies also had an infield hit (that really was an error on Fielder) and a fielder’s choice that was not a Fielder’s choice, and they took a 5-3 lead.
In the seventh, Milwaukee reliever Scott Linebrink, who had been a San Diego reliever until being shelled at Coors Field two weeks ago, was Blake Street bombed by Helton. It was Helton’s first homer in 61 at-bats.
In the eighth, Helton homered again, his first home run since the seventh inning. With five hits and an error on Fielder, the Rockies scored five more runs and possessed an 11-3 lead – and had batted around twice in a game for the first time since last season.
As the crowd got up to depart, a scene from San Francisco materialized on the gigantic TV screen in left. Barry Bonds had hit a rather historic and infamous home run.
The crowd in Denver, except for eight people, booed.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lost on Tuesday. They were in first place when they came to Denver a couple of weekends ago. Now they are in third – tied with the Rockies at 58-54. And Arizona’s defeat put the Rockies four games out of first.
The weird got stranger and curiouser. It was a Mad Hatter’s tea party Tuesday night, and the Rockies have won their ninth consecutive home series.
Orange dusk and magic dust becomes the Rox.
Staff writer Woody Paige can be reached at 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com.
