Los Angeles – According to Cal Tech research, the probability of the Rockies securing the wild-card berth sits at 19 percent. It is a simple cold calculation of numbers, devoid of emotion.
Throw rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki into the computer and he’d spit fire out of the hard drive. He has captivated fans with a performance that while lacking Dante Bichette’s flair and Larry Walker’s hair, could lead the Rockies back into the playoffs for the first time since 1995.
Tulowitzki’s two-run home run in the sixth, and two critical RBI singles from Todd Helton, lifted the Rockies to a 9-7 victory on Tuesday, their ninth straight, equaling a 10-year-old franchise record.
It pulled the Rockies into a tie with the Philadelphia Phillies, both perched one game behind wild-card leader San Diego. Even as it had fans pulling their hair out and screaming at their TVs over an eighth-inning mess, Brian Fuentes wriggled out of the bases-loaded jam after allowing only run.
It amounted to a slight hiccup for a relief corps that rescued starter Ubaldo Jimenez – four innings, five runs.
Of all the explanations for this remarkable stretch – an elastic bullpen, a remarkable power surge from Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe – Tulowitzki’s emergence is the most eloquent and poignant.
“There were a lot of pieces in place. And he became the piece that pulled it all together,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s brought a fire and a passion that is unique. He’s kind of like that extra-special sauce that brought the flavor out in everything.”
Tulowitzki – or more accurately Tulowizkid – is hard to pronounce. It’s four syllables. But it’s worth learning for the water cooler conversation this morning.
With the Rockies trailing for the first time since last Wednesday, Tulowitzki stepped into the box against left-hander Mark Hendrickson in the sixth inning. Baseball in September is often nervous breakdowns disguised in nine innings, especially for rookies. Tulowitzki smashed an 87-mile per hour fastball into the left-field pavilion, knowing at impact that it was a souvenir.
“You want to be up in those situations. It’s why you play,” Tulowitzki said. “I fail a lot, too. And tonight was about this team. I can’t say enough about these guys.”
The spotlight found Tulowitzki, but also left several others illuminated. It’s not so much that the Rockies are charging toward the finish, it’s the way the win. They are a dirty-uniform, hard-sliding, fundamentally sound bunch.
Kazuo Matsui raced home on catcher Russell Martin’s throwing error into center field in the second inning, never hesitating to test Juan Pierre’s arm. Helton, morphing into Keith Hernandez, plated two runs with singles to left and right field. He’s hitting .402 with 18 RBIs this month. His hit in the eighth came after reliever Scott Proctor hit Holliday for the second time in a week.
“I am sure they would rather face me than Matt,” Helton said. “I had two good fastballs to hit and missed both of them. He threw the breaking ball and I was able to squeeze out a hit.”
The Rockies weren’t happy that Holliday was plunked. But any feud was apparently defused when Proctor called Holliday after the game.
“We talked,” Holliday said. “It’s over.”
But it just wasn’t about the stars. There was Cory Sullivan’s fifth-inning bullet to catcher Yorvit Torrealba that he scooped and somehow secured as Jeff Kent slid into him.
And all his replacement did was save the game in the eighth. With the Dodger Stadium crowd stretching to the breaking point and Hurdle sticking with Fuentes even as closer Manny Corpas warmed up, Ryan Spilborghs made a running grab of Matt Kemp’s flyball.
Fighting command issues after consecutive walks, Fuentes caught a break when rookie shortstop Chin-Lung Hu, who had homered earlier, botched a sacrifice bunt.
As Corpas ultimately recorded the final out, Tulowitzki thrust his arm into the air. It might as well have been a punch to the Dodgers’ gut.
“You don’t want look away when anyone is batting because you don’t know who is going to come through,” Tulowitzki said. “There’s absolutely no quit in this team.”
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
