Rockies manager Clint Hurdle is a man of many metaphors, analogies and motivational cliches. But coming off the most disappointing first half in team history, he knew better Thursday than to put lipstick on a pig.
“I am tired of talking about playing better. We just need to start doing it,” Hurdle said. “I need to do a better job. The coaches need to do a better job, and the players need to do a better job.”
On a beautiful summer evening, the Rockies reacquainted themselves with victory and an old baseball axiom in a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A team, the legend goes, has a better chance of winning if it scores runs.The Rockies were held to two runs in their four-game losing streak before the break. They had just 15 hits, and players other than Brad Hawpe batted just a combined .094.
For the Rockies to have any hope of salvaging this season, they must dominate their current seven-game homestand. And given the erratic starting pitching — Ubaldo Jimenez’s gem Thursday notwithstanding — the onus is on the offense to serve as the backbone.
After 39 innings in a coma, the lineup finally woke up. The highlight, ironically, was a broken bat, the sport’s universal symbol of frustration. With the game tied at 3-all in the sixth inning, catcher Chris Iannetta blasted his latest memorable home run. This one didn’t land on the concourse like the majestic July 4 shot, but it was unforgettable nonetheless.
“If you told me that would happen before the game I wouldn’t have believed it,” Iannetta said.
The catcher barreled an 85-mph changeup from the Pirates’ Paul Maholm, sending a laser to left as the barrel of his bat boomeranged toward third base. Maholm stood on the mound in disbelief.
“He hit it 10 rows deep,” Maholm said. “I don’t know what to say.”
Larry Walker and Matt Holliday have pulled off the feat, but Iannetta’s 10th home run came with added significance. This is a game the Rockies had to win. It slows the circling of the opposing roster vultures and keeps the Rockies within cobra-striking distance of the Arizona Diamondbacks at eight games back.
That the Rockies needed only a two-run cushion was a credit to Jimenez. After a sloppy first three innings, the right-hander was terrific. He surrendered just three runs over seven innings, discovering efficiency as he puzzled left-handed hitters with his sinker.
“I can feel when I am rushing my delivery now,” Jimenez said. “This is a big opportunity for us.”
Jimenez and Aaron Cook are being counted on heavily to stabilize a rotation missing Jeff Francis, who should return after two rehab starts. The bullpen is taking shape even as its closer remains in a fluid situation. With trade partners like Tampa Bay and the Red Sox in pursuit, Brian Fuentes has put together one heck of an audition tape, retiring 18 consecutive hitters, including 12 by strikeout. He fanned the side for his 100th career save.
“It’s one of those addictive things that once you get a taste, it’s all you want to do,” Fuentes said. “It’s kind of in your blood.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking Ahead
The Rockies’ rotation was in tatters before the all-star break, but there was a sliver of good news when lefty Glendon Rusch (2-3, 6.25 ERA) earned a win in Milwaukee on July 9 with a strong one-run, five-hit performance over six innings. “I stayed ahead in counts and didn’t get into any jams,” he said about his first victory in a Rockies uniform. Rusch has 15 career starts against the Pirates, posting a 2-7 record with a 4.45 ERA. Pirates right-hander Ian Snell (3-7, 5.92) has lost seven of his last eight decisions. He’s 1-1 with a 4.73 ERA in three career games against the Rockies.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming Pitching Matchups
Saturday:
Pirates’ Yoslan Herrera (0-0, 12.46) vs. Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (3-5, 7.62), 6:05 p.m., FSN
Sunday:
Pirates’ Zach Duke (4-6, 4.40) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (11-6, 3.57), 1:05 p.m., KTVD-20
Monday:
Dodgers’ Chan Ho Park vs. Rockies’ Kip Wells (1-1, 2.29), 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday:
Dodgers’ Eric Stults (2-2, 2.67) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (4-9, 4.22), 7:05 p.m., FSN
