SAN DIEGO — Padres’ pitcher Jake Peavy brings power and glower.
The Rockies have always fed off his intensity, wearing out the San Diego ace. Peavy walked to the mound to Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” knowing he hadn’t beaten Colorado in eight starts, a streak spanning roughly three years.
Peavy’s grunting and snorting took a backseat to his glaring and spouting. After expressing his disappointment with a two-strike pitch in the second inning – it won’t make any Hallmark cards – the right-hander finished with 13 strikeouts. He whiffed on the win when Trevor Hoffman blew his first save since the All-Star break, but nervy Luis Rodriguez rescued the victory with a ninth-inning single in the 2-1 win.
Each loss becomes more poignant given the time and place in the season. This defeat drops the Rockies 6 ½ games behind the division-leading Diamondbacks with 24 remaining, pending the outcome of Arizona’s game tonight against the Dodgers.
The Rockies tied the score in the ninth when pinch-hitter Chris Iannetta grounded a hanging Hoffman curveball into center field. It was more of a second breath than a new life. In the ninth, Taylor Buchholz gave up three hits, including the line-drive single to right field by Rodriguez, who plated both San Diego runs.
Peavy, in many ways, was still the story.
He practically melted away the Marine layer with his 93-mph fastball. And delighted the Marines in attendance on military day with his ridiculous slider that had more bite than a shark. Peavy finished with a season-high 13 strikeouts — three shy of his career-high — on 114 pitches.
He needed every one of those whiffs to outpoint the suddenly revived Jeff Francis. In his best start of the season, Francis surrendered just one run on six hits in seven innings. Not only did he maintain consistent velocity with his fastball — 88 mph to 92 mph — but he demonstrated terrific arm-side command. He buried pitches on the hands of left-handers and bedazzled Padres’ right-handers with his changeup and four-seamer on the corner.
The Padres’ only run came against Francis came when center fielder Scott Podsednik could not make a diving catch on Rodriguez’s RBI double in the fifth inning.
And yet the Rockies weren’t able to capitalize on Francis’ excellence because they had no answer for Peavy. They had two legitimate scoring threats – in the second and the eighth innings. With runners on first and third in the second, Francis struck out looking. In the eighth, mental and physical gaffes spoiled the threat.
After Troy Tulowitzki reached, Willy Taveras was sent up as a pinch-hitter to bunt, his specialty. He fouled the first two off and missed on his third attempt. Podsednik followed and a mix up occurred. Tulowitzki took off as if the hit-and-run was on, glancing back twice as he headed toward second base. Podsednik didn’t swing and Tulowitzki was thrown out by three feet. It’s unclear who missed the sign, but the players conferred on defense for a few minutes to discuss the matter.
Trevor Hoffman, who’s had his issues with the Rockies, couldn’t seal it in the ninth, leaving Rodriguez to steal the spotlight again with his bat.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
