LOS ANGELES — The Rockies have been driven nearly out of contention, in part because they can’t drive anybody in.
For eight innings they failed Wednesday, stranding runners like so many castaways on “Survivor.” Then, something weird happened. The Dodgers’ defense was worse.
L.A. committed four errors for the first time in three years, nudging the Rockies to a 4-3 victory, their fifth straight on a promising road trip.
“When someone’s gonna give you stuff like that, you have to take advantage,” Matt Holliday said. “We found a way to scrounge up enough runs.”
The final run came courtesy of an E and a long-awaited big hit. Holliday, part of a middle of the order that couldn’t cash in early on, greeted Dodgers closer Jonathon Broxton to open the ninth. The burly right-hander didn’t like the sight and promptly drilled Holliday in the left biceps.
Holliday turned his head in disgust and angrily flipped his bat and shin guard. That frustration would quickly dissipate moments later. He raced to second base as catcher Danny Ardoin’s throw sailed into center field for the Dodgers’ final error.
Even the Rockies couldn’t spoil this opportunity. Brad Hawpe, baseball’s hottest hitter over the past nine weeks, lined a fastball into right field to shove Colorado ahead.
Rather than drive in runs, the Rockies spent the evening driving themselves mad. They loaded the bases in the fifth, and Holliday, Hawpe and Garrett Atkins couldn’t get a ball out of the infield against laboring Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley. That the Rockies scored was a gift, first baseman Casey Blake muffing Hawpe’s slow roller.
Then again, the shoddy glovework wasn’t a total surprise. It could be argued L.A.’s entire infield was playing out of position. Manager Joe Torre got creative to jumble as many right-handers against the Rockies’ Jeff Francis as possible. But Francis escaped jams by playing off their impatience.
A quick synopsis: fastball in, changeup away. The Dodgers repeatedly fished.
“With runners on, he had no emotion. He was able to paint, paint and paint,” Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “He should feel very good about this.”
To Blake’s left was Jeff Kent. He might go into the Hall of Fame someday — here’s guessing Cooperstown’s own Vin Scully won’t be delivering his acceptance speech given Kent’s recent criticism of the legend — but he’s not a second baseman. He’s tough, but rangeless. Nomar Garciaparra manned shortstop, a position he hasn’t played regularly in two years. And catcher Russell Martin shifted to third, where he air-mailed two throws.
Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, his left quadriceps still not fully healthy, nearly trumped them with his own misplay. He got caught in between a backhand and a dive in the second inning, allowing two runs to score on Ardoin’s groundball.
The idea Colorado would be doomed by Ardoin’s bat would be hard for any Rockies fan to grasp given how little the catcher hit in purple pinstripes. But with the scored tied at 3-all, the ninth changed. And boos rained. It started with Holliday and some superstition. High above in the press box, assistant general manager Bill Geivett had members of the Rockies’ traveling party touch his suit coat for luck.
Moments later, Hawpe’s dart was landing in the outfield and RBI was no longer a four-letter word.
