Todd Helton is hurting. The Rockies first baseman was replaced in the eighth inning Wednesday by Jeff Baker. It’s not unusual for Colorado to lift the 34-year- old Helton in the late inning of a blowout, but the Rockies were ahead of the Padres just 7-1 when Helton came out. After the game, Helton admitted that his problematic lower back is bothering him.
“It’s just worse than usual,” he said.
Helton, hitting .266, went 0-for-2 and walked twice.
Nose job.
Padres catcher Michael Barrett went down in a heap in the third inning when he fouled a pitch off his face. The pitch, a mid-90s fastball from Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez, barely caught Barrett’s bat before hitting him in the nose. He was taken to Rose Medical Center for treatment for what was believed to be a broken nose, according to the Padres.
“It was scary,” Jimenez said. “I think the ball would have hit him anyway, because it was a two-seam fastball coming in on him. I just hope he’s OK.”
All-star stats.
After his shutout Tuesday, Aaron Cook seems a lock for his first All-Star Game. He entered Wednesday as the NL leader in innings pitched (125 1/3) and was second in the NL in victories (11).
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
