LOS ANGELES — The mohawk couldn’t be more misleading.
There’s nothing about Aaron Cook that is eccentric or electric. In this city of screenplays, fake smiles and Ferraris, Cook is the God-fearing man driving the tractor.
He looks you straight in the eye and says he is not looking at anything but the next game, and you think to yourself: He can’t really mean that. Cook has been the anti-thesis to the Rockies’ season, the one player who has not only dealt with expectations but exceeded them.
After Wednesday’s latest hands-dirty, clock-punching effort in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, everything seems possible.
An all-star berth, 20 wins, his first full season of health and statistical happiness — even if he’d rather not discuss it.
“I don’t worry about any of that,” Cook said. “When I start thinking about that kind of stuff, I run into problems.”
As it is, his narrow focus has run opponents into the ground. Cook worked eight innings, surrendering just a single run. He didn’t allow a flyball until the seventh inning.
“It’s boring out there when he’s pitching. When a ball finally gets in the air, you get nervous,” center fielder Willy Taveras said with a laugh. “That’s how you win a series: good pitching. We all wanted to do much better on this (2-8) road trip, but maybe we have finally turned the corner.”
Perhaps the last two days might be the flip of the flops. The Rockies were predicted by many to win the National League West or compete for a second consecutive playoff berth at the very least. At 22-38, they begin a three-game series at home Friday against simmering Milwaukee in need of a stepladder and long arms to reach .500.
But in winning their first road series since April 20, the Rockies were reminded of what they were last fall: a team with solid pitching and timely hitting.
Jeff Francis and Cook permitted just one run in 15 innings. Manager Clint Hurdle called it a “whole different dynamic.” The Rockies are 9-4 in Cook’s assignments, 13-34 when anyone else pitches. It’s a resume that will be difficult to ignore when Hurdle pieces together the final slots on his National League all-star roster. Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre is among a growing list of opponents who have taken notice.
“He’s been their man all season, right?” Pierre said. “He could have just thrown sinkers all day the way that thing was moving.”
Excellence off the mound provided margin for error at the plate. The Rockies didn’t need an offensive explosion, only a single big hit. Jeff Baker provided the crush in the second inning with a two-run homer. He smoked the 10th pitch he saw from rookie left-hander Clayton Kershaw into the left-field seats for his first homer in 91 at-bats.
“I finally got one I could handle,” said Baker, for whom Hurdle will try to get more at-bats against left-handers. “We have struggled, it’s no secret. But we finally got some momentum and hopefully we can get on a roll and start digging out of this thing.”
It’s certainly easy to picture Cook with a shovel and a farmer’s tan. Hard work and no frills is what he does best.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Upcoming pitching matchups
Today:
Off
Friday:
Brewers’ Ben Sheets (6-1, 2.71) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (1-6, 5.37), 7:05 p.m., FSN
Saturday:
Brewers’ Dave Bush (2-5, 5.49) vs. Rockies’ Greg Reynolds (0-3, 5.72), 6:05 p.m., FSN
Sunday:
Brewers’ Jeff Suppan (3-4, 3.93) vs. Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-5, 5.53), 1:05 p.m., KTVD- 20
