Until the eighth inning, the only reminders of last fall were above the Rockies’ dugout and scoreboard: National League Champions.
The title has mocked them for the better part of a month, an early-season slide a few snowflakes away from a demoralizing avalanche.
“We need something to give us some life,” Matt Holliday said before the game.
The defibrillator finally arrived courtesy of the new starting catcher and an outfielder who looks like a “Deadwood” extra.
Chris Iannetta’s two-run triple and Ryan Spilborghs’ nervy single provided the Rockies a 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, providing a glimmer of hope that this forgettable start has run its course.
Trailing 3-0 thanks to a shaky performance from Jeff Francis – he remains winless – Colorado appeared flat entering the eighth. That’s what happens when a team doesn’t hit. At that point, they had provided little resistance against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright.
But the game finally became easy against the St. Louis bullpen. Matt Holliday plated Omar Quintanilla with a triple to avoid the indignity of a shutout. Then Garrett Atkins walked, and the chess match began. Manager Clint Hurdle pinch-hit Ryan Spilborghs for Brad Hawpe with left-hander Randy Flores on the mound. Hawpe owns a .208 average against lefties. La Russa countered with right-handed closer Jason Isringhausen for the four-out save.
Spilborghs grinded out his at-bat – Isringhausen never threw an off-speed pitch – singling in Holliday with a groundball single to left. Spilborghs improved to 9-for-18 with runners in scoring position, representing one of the few players performing above expectations.
The other is Iannetta, who started for a fourth consecutive game. He lined an Isringhausen fastball to right, clearing the bases. It set up Brian Fuentes’ save, that was dramatic – Albert Pujols lined out – but ultimately effective.
