CHICAGO — Redemption is most charming when the acts seem outrageously improbable.
Jorge De La Rosa and Willy Taveras returned to prominence with high-fives.
The last time Jorge De La Rosa started, the Phillies used him as a speed bag. The idea that he would escape from a bullpen exodus and pitch like Sandy Koufax required more imagination than optimism. Lacking Triple-A alternatives, De La Rosa was summoned to gobble innings, and, if possible give the Rockies a chance to win.
Instead, he devoured the White Sox, his five shutout innings and Taveras’ five stolen bases the most riveting elements in Saturday’s 2-0 interleague victory.
The Windy City is no longer the Winless City, the Rockies snapping an eight-game losing streak in Chicago dating to Sept. 30, 2006. The Rockies have now beaten every current major league franchise at least once.
What happened Saturday is what makes baseball so cruel and wonderful. They lost Friday despite hitting a season-high four home runs. They won Saturday despite going 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Their two runs came courtesy of Taveras’ bat, if not his feet. He smoked a groundball in the seventh inning that first baseman Paul Konerko couldn’t handle, the error scoring Jeff Baker. In the ninth, Taveras singled off pitcher Nick Masset’s glove. Taveras’ speed caused Masset to rush his throw, and he fired the ball into the Rockies” dugout.
Taveras lost his job last week, told that he would be sitting more frequently in favor of Ryan Spilborghs because of his inability to reach base consistently. He provided a strong rebuttal Saturday in his best game of the season. A night after hitting his first home run, Taveras ran more effectively than Barack Obama. He stole second twice and third three times. He leads the National League with 29 steals in 31 attempts. His five swipes are one shy of Eric Young’s franchise record set in 1996 against the Dodgers.
De La Rosa made every extra base matter. He finished with a career-high eight strikeouts, showing a remarkable ability to repeat his delivery on his slider and curveball. He was limited to 79 pitches because he hadn’t started in 16 days. The Rockies planned to return him to the bullpen, but his performance makes it possible he could start Thursday against Cleveland in favor of Triple-A left-hander Glendon Rusch.
Jason Grilli, Taylor Buchholz and Brian Fuentes combined on the Rockies’ third shutout of the season.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
