Phoenix – Surviving a wild night in the desert, the resilient Rockies overcame a multitude of missed opportunities and beat the Diamondbacks 7-3 in 10 innings Friday night.
The unlikely hero was Cory Sullivan.
The reserve outfielder led off the 10th with a triple and scored the winning run when Arizona pitcher Tony Pena threw the ball away after fielding a grounder by Kazuo Matsui.
Colorado added bonus runs when Arizona’s touted bullpen collapsed. Matsui scored on Garrett Atkins’ shallow sacrifice fly to left and Brad Hawpe drove in two runs with a single to right.
The Rockies’ rally was unprecedented. They entered the game with a 0-30 record this season when trailing after eight complete innings on the road.
The Diamondbacks’ loss, coupled with the Padres’ 6-4 win over the Dodgers, leaves the Diamondbacks and Padres in a virtual tie for first place in the National League West. The Rockies are five games out in the NL West and five games out in the wild-card race.
For most of the evening, the Rockies were frustrated at the plate. Although they out-hit the Diamondbacks 17-3, the Rockies finished 5-for-22 with men in scoring position and were shut out for the first seven innings. It was Sullivan who finally got the Rockies on the board. His bases-loaded, pinch-hit single in the eighth cut Arizona’s lead to 3-2.
Colorado tied the game 3-3 in the ninth. Todd Helton hit a two-out single off Jose Valverde. Helton was replaced by pinch-runner Jamey Carroll, who scored from first on Garrett Atkins’ bloop single to shallow center.
This was a night when Colorado rookie starter Ubaldo Jimenez’s fastball reached 100 mph and he baffled the Diamondbacks for most of seven innings. Jimenez finally cracked with two out in the seventh – giving up a three-run, opposite-field homer down the left-field line to catcher Miguel Montero.
The exclamation point to the night’s frustrations came in the ninth when manager Clint Hurdle and rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki were both ejected for arguing that Tulowitzki should have been called safe on a close play at first base.
With their playoff hopes hanging on every game, the Rockies could ill afford to waste scoring opportunities. But that’s exactly what they did night against crafty Arizona starter Livan Hernandez.
The Rockies twice loaded the bases against Hernandez, yet failed to score a run.
In the sixth, Matt Holliday led off with an infield grounder and advance to second on third baseman Mark Reynolds throwing error. Then Helton singled to left and Atkins walked to fill the bases. The rally died in Reynolds’ glove. Hawpe fouled out to the third baseman, Ryan Spilborghs lined out to him and Yorvit Torrealba grounded out to end the inning.
In the second inning, three straight singles by Atkins, Hawpe and Spilborghs produced zilch. With a chance to stake an early lead, Torrealba grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Tulowitzki’s two-out triple in the third provided another chance, but Holliday grounded out to third, wasting another chance.
For his third start in a row, Jimenez pitched brilliantly. In 6.2 innings he surrendered just three hits and struck out six. He didn’t walk anyone until the fateful seventh when he suddenly got wild, giving up a two-out walk to Stephen Drew and then plunking Reynolds with a 96 mph fastball. Up to the plate stepped Montero, who lifted the first pitch he saw over the short left-field fence.
History maker
With his leadoff infield single in the sixth, Holliday set a franchise record by reaching base safely by hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in his 36th consecutive game. Holliday passed Larry Walker (April 27-June 8, 2002) and Helton (May 28-July 5, 2006), who both reached base in 35 straight games.
Taveras on tap
Speedy center fielder Willy Taveras, apparently fully recovered from a strained quadriceps muscle, is expected to be activated for Saturday’s game. Taveras played four rehab games with Triple-A Colorado Springs, including a 12-inning game Thursday night.
“We just wanted to give Willy a day off, he could use a break,” manager Clint Hurdle said this afternoon.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
