Phoenix – The scene inside the visitors clubhouse at Chase Field resembled a M*A*S*H unit.
Starter Josh Fogg, the glue that held the Rockies together in their gutsy 4-3 victory over the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon, talked about pitching with a stiff, sore shoulder.
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba looked like a mummy as he walked out of the training room with bandages wrapped around his throwing shoulder, with his right hand packed in ice after it got nicked by a nasty foul tip.
Earlier in the day, the Rockies learned that Aaron Cook, their opening-day starter, will miss the rest of the season. Cook reinjured a muscle in his left rib cage during a rehab start for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Saturday night.
“It’s all part of playing in September,” Fogg said. “And at least this season we’re still playing for something. We’re still in this. I’d like to be a lot closer than we are, but we still control our destiny.”
Had the Rockies lost to Arizona ace Brandon Webb on Sunday, their playoff hopes would have been moved to the intensive-care unit. Although they had just five hits, they managed to score four early runs on the reigning Cy Young winner, and it was just enough. The game- winner turned out to be Matt Holliday’s solo homer to lead off the third inning, his team- high 25th homer of the season.
“It was a gutsy win, a real gutsy win,” manager Clint Hurdle said.
True enough, but the 3-3 road trip through San Francisco and Phoenix was less than the Rockies had hoped for.
After taking two of three from the Diamondbacks, the Rockies return to Denver for this afternoon’s game against the Giants trailing San Diego and Arizona by five games in both the National League West race and the wild-card chase.
Given the state of their depleted pitching staff, it was imperative the Rockies receive a quality start from Fogg. He delivered, allowing just two runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out a season-high six. He improved to 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA in eight career starts at Chase Field.
Working like a traffic cop, he had to deal with baserunners in every inning, but he gave the Rockies just enough.
“My command wasn’t great today by any means, and I had (three) walks that could have really hurt, but we got through it,” Fogg said.
The Diamondbacks scored twice off Fogg in the first, utilizing a walk by Orlando Hudson, a run-scoring triple by Tony Clark and an RBI single by Stephen Drew. But Fogg dug in after that.
Arizona whittled the Rockies’ lead to 4-3 in the seventh when Hudson led off with a triple against reliever LaTroy Hawkins and came in to score on Eric Byrnes’ infield grounder. But Brian Fuentes shut down the Diamondbacks in the eighth, and Manny Corpas came on in the ninth to get his 12th save in 12 chances as a closer.
The Rockies came out aggressively against Webb, and it paid off with a 3-0 first-inning lead. Willy Taveras led off with a bunt single and swiped second, his 30th stolen base of the season. Kazuo Matsui drew a walk before Holliday drove in Taveras with a single through the right side.
After Todd Helton walked to load the bases, Brad Hawpe drove in Matsui with a sacrifice fly to left. Rookie third baseman Ian Stewart, facing Webb for the first time in his career, drove home Holliday with a sharp single to right.
Staff writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
