Phoenix – A 162-game season tends to dilute the importance of a single afternoon of baseball.
Not so for this afternoon’s tense affair at Chase Field.
The Rockies not only hung on the beat the Diamondbacks 4-3, but they also kept their playoff hopes out of intensive care.
They did it by getting to Arizona ace Brandon Webb early. And they did it by combining a gutsy start from Josh Fogg with a successful tightrope act by their bullpen.
The series-clinching victory, combined with San Diego’s 5-0 loss to the Dodgers, moved the Rockies within five games of San Diego and Arizona in both the National League West race and the wild-card chase.
The Rockies’ 13-7 loss Saturday night, which featured a complete meltdown on the mound, coupled with this morning’s news that starter Aaron Cook is out for the season, made it imperative the Rockies receive a quality start from Fogg.
The right-hander delivered, allowing just two runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out a season-high six.
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. Though he dealt with a lot of traffic over his next five innings, he didn’t yield any more runs, thanks in large part to a veteran-worthy play by rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the sixth. With two outs and Justin Upton on second, Arizona’s Eric Young drilled a grounder deep into the hole at short. Tulowitzki scooped up the ball, and seeing he had no little chance of getting the fleet Young at first, decided to fire to third base where he picked off Upton who had rounded the bag.
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 promptly swiped second, his 30th stolen base of the season. Kazuo Matsui drew a walk before Matt 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.
Colorado added a run in the third on Holliday’s leadoff homer to center. The 419-foot shot, Holliday’s 25th homer of the season, gave the Rockies a 4-2 lead.
After getting through a shaky first three innings, Webb was nearly untouchable, allowing a single base runner over his last four innings.
Arizona whittled the Rockies’ lead to 4-3 in the seventh when Orlando Hudson led off with a triple against reliever LaTroy Hawkins and scored on Eric Byrnes infield grounder.
Brian Fuentes shutdown the Diamondbacks in the eighth and Manny Corpas came on in the ninth to get his 12th save.
The Rockies open a six-game, seven-day homestand Monday afternoon against the Giants. They’ll host the Giants for three games, then get a day off on Thursday before the Padres come to Coors Field for a crucial three-game series next weekend.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
