Heroes had been all but impossible to find in this season of disappointments. But a bunch Rockies of donned Superman suits in their 3-2 victory over the Twins on Saturday night.
Start with rookie pitcher Greg Reynolds. All he did was throw six shutout innings in his Coors Field debut.
The man who drove in the game-winning run, and snapped the Rockies’ six-game losing streak, was Ryan Spilborghs. His pinch-hit single in the eighth drove in Jeff Baker, who led off the inning with his second double of the game. Spilborghs is 6-for-8 with a walk in his last nine pinch-hit appearances.
Brian Fuentes led Rockies fans though a jittery ninth inning, giving up a led off single to Delmon Young and a walk to Brendan Harris before striking out Mike Lamb on a 3-2 pitch to end the game. It was Fuentes’ fifth save.
The 6-foot-7 Reynolds, in just his second big-league start, was unshakable, even after Minnesota starter Livan Hernandez lined a wicked shot off his foot in the fifth inning. In six shutout innings, the 21-year-old right-hander allowed just three hits, walked two and struck out two. He didn’t get victory, but he proved he belonged.
Hurdle pulled Reynolds for a pinch hitter in the sixth, even though Reynolds had thrown just 91 pitches, 53 of them for strikes.
On the 10th anniversary of David Wells’ perfect game at Yankee Stadium, Hernandez was perfect for five innings, and it looked like the Rockies were headed for their 20th loss in their last 25 games. The Rockies didn’t touch Hernandez until Baker led off the sixth with a double down the left-field line. Baker put the Rockies ahead 1-0 on Willy Taveras’ single to right. It was the Rockies’ first lead in more than 59 innings.
With Reynolds in the dugout icing his shoulder, the Twins quickly put two on the board in the seventh off reliever Matt Herges. Delmon Young led off with a bloop single and moved to third on Adam Everett’s double. Young scored on Hernandez’s sacrifice bunt, tying the game at 1-1. Harris knocked in Everett with a single to left, giving the Twins a 2-1 lead.
The Rockies tied the game 2-2 in the seventh, stringing together a Matt Holliday double, a Todd Helton single and a sacrifice fly by Garrett Atkins.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
