Los Angeles – At 3:35 p.m., a visiting clubhouse attendant called across the hall to reveal the Rockies’ lineup. What he heard in return amounted to finding a bike under the tree on Christmas morning. While the Rockies, with the playoffs within sight, are storming Omaha Beach, the Dodgers trotted out a lineup more suited for Vero Beach.
Six of the eight position players spent time in Triple-A Las Vegas and five were September callups. While the Dodgers took a glimpse at their future, the Rockies continued distancing themselves from their past, posting a 2-0 victory Wednesday night.
It was their 10th straight win, the longest streak in franchise history and in the major leagues this season. Extending their magical run toward their first playoff berth since 1995, however, only kept them from losing ground as both the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies won.
The Rockies sit one game behind the Padres, tied with the Phillies. And in a scenario that seemed implausible as recently as last weekend, Colorado trails the Arizona Diamondbacks by two games in the National League West. If they Rockies were to advance as the wild card, they’d play at the New York Mets next Wednesday, though that’s hardly scribbled in stone given the Mets’ slump.
Crashing the party is the goal, regardless of how the Rockies get behind the velvet rope.
On a cool evening, Josh Fogg toyed with the Dodgers’ kiddie corps, working 6 2/3 shutout innings, part of a rotation that has posted a 3.10 ERA during the streak. His biggest pitch came in the sixth, when it appeared he was about to flinch.
He walked three consecutive hitters, fighting command and grip issues. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, first baseman Todd Helton and pitching coach Bob Apodaca all took turns calming his nerves. As easily as he wiped sweat from his brow, Fogg struck out Andre Either with an 86-mile per hour fastball on the outside corner. He reacted with a fist pump typically seen when Tiger Woods sinks a 20-foot putt.
Assuming more burden with Jeff Kent, Russell Martin, Rafael Furcal and Nomar Garciaparra on the bench, Derek Lowe nearly matched Fogg’s excellence. He allowed just two runs in seven innings, and it should have been one had rookie shortstop Chin-Lung Hu handled Matt Holliday’s RBI single.
The hopper ricocheted off his glove, scoring the Rockies’ second run. The first came moments earlier after Yorvit Torrealba doubled and scored when Kazuo Matsui’s groundball to right field.
Fogg, who allowed just one extra-base hit to the Dodgers’ rookies, has appeared re-energized since getting two extra days rest between starts earlier this month. Still, manager Clint Hurdle continued to guide with urgency. After a two-out, seventh-inning single by Mark Sweeney, Fogg was gone at 97 pitches. He hasn’t thrown more than 100 since Aug. 17.
And going to the bullpen long since ago stopped feeling like a slot-lever pull. The predictability of performance has been startling, if not comforting as the relievers own a 2.68 ERA over the past 10 games. Jeremy Affeldt, Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas gobbled up the final seven outs.
Four games remain. Dream on.
Staff Writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
