The Rockies can’t decide who they are.
A perplexing disappointment? A case study on expectations dictating human emotions? A Disney sequel directed by Wes Craven? A club pulling the ol’ bat-and-switch on its division peers?
On a warm Tuesday night at Coors Field, the Rockies settled into the role of reigning National League bullies, chest puffed out, muscles flexed. They held a lumber party at the San Francisco Giants’ expense, winning 10-5 in a blur of baseballs bouncing off seats and ricocheting off walls.
“That’s what we expect all the time,” catcher Chris Iannetta said. “It’s going to happen more times than not, in all honesty, where we’ll score more than three or four runs and give some help to our pitching staff.”
As Aaron Cook tied his career high with nine wins and made another campaign push for an all-star berth, the Rockies finished with 13 hits. They went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. In the second inning, they had two sacrifice flies. They had one sacrifice fly through their first 26 games.
With Matt Holliday back — “I didn’t do much, but I feel fine,” he said of his left hamstring — and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki aiming to return in nine days, the lineup appears finally ready to gain traction. What played out in the Rockies’ fifth win in six games was what they had in mind when they left Tucson.
They blended speed, power and unselfishness. The second inning was everything the Rockies were not for much of the past two months.
They turned four singles and two well-placed flyballs into four runs.
“We talked about it, the situational hitting, doing what it calls for,” said center fielder Willy Taveras, who stole two bases. “Guys were excited in the dugout. We are going to hit. This is who we can be.”
There were plenty of notable swings, namely a pair of home runs from Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton. Helton has gone deep three times in the last 10 games, and hit his first opposite-field shot at Coors Field this season after Vinnie Chulk tried to sneak consecutive changeups past him.
“It was nice. It feels like it’s been a few years since I hit a ball out to left,” Helton said. “We are playing well, but all that matters is that we keep winning.”
That’s all the Rockies do when Cook pitches. The team is 10-4 in his starts, his latest victory a testament to his ability to sprinkle in enough sliders and four-seam fastballs on a night when he didn’t have his best sinker.
Anytime the Giants squared up a ball, it seemed to become an obituary in Atkins’ glove. He made four diving plays — “He was showing off because he knew I hadn’t seen him play in a few days,” joked Holliday — and left his uniform dirty.
Good defense, timely hitting, solid starting pitching — that’s their desirable identity.
“It’s silly to think about where we would be without Cookie,” Atkins said. “We know we are far down in the standings and have to play good baseball. But a lot of guys in here have done that.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
TODAY: Giants at Rockies, 7 p.m., FSN
Ubaldo Jimenez (1-6, 5.43) is the Rockies’ uh-oh pitcher. If something goes wrong, it usually happens when he’s starting. But Colorado rallied Friday night, leaving the team 2-11 in his assignments. Jimenez has performed his best against the Giants this season, holding them to a .143 average and two earned runs in two starts. Tim Lincecum (8-1, 2.15) gets his latest opportunity to show Clint Hurdle he should start for the National League in the All-Star Game. He’s 6-0 on the road. His only loss this season came against the Rockies in San Francisco. Todd Helton is 6-for-9 against the right-hander, including a home run.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Thursday:
Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez (5-3, 3.70) vs. Rockies’ Greg Reynolds (1-3, 5.24), 1:05 p.m., FSN
Friday:
Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-6, 5.45) vs. White Sox’s Gavin Floyd (7-3, 3.10), 6:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday:
Rockies’ TBA vs. White Sox’s John Danks (4-4, 3.13), 5:05 p.m., FSN
Sunday:
Rockies’ Aaron Cook (9-3, 3.21) vs. White Sox’s Jose Contreras (6-4, 3.18), 12:05 p.m., KTVD-20
