Where, then, to start about a game that didn’t want to end?
With San Francisco boy wonder Tim Lincecum? Nope, he looked more sigh young than Cy Young on a jacket-required Tuesday night at Coors Field. Perhaps with endurance of reliever Jason Grilli? He worked three innings, fanning four and served as a human fire extinguisher of every Giants rally. Yep, getting warmer.
How about the clubhouse flush with call-ups, including the vibrant Dexter Fowler? He will occupy plenty of hype and type in the coming seasons, but suffered an inauspicious debut after getting thrown out on a botched stolen base attempt in the 10th inning.
Nope, just go to the 12th where Ryan Spilborghs decided it was everyone’s bed time with one swing, his laser single to right field scoring Omar Quintanilla to secure a nervy 6-5 victory.
Colorado, at last, made progress, its bravado tinged with hope after moving closer to the division-leading Diamondbacks for the first time in eight days. The Rockies sit five games back with 22 to play. Picture Jim Carrey proposing to Mary in “Dumb and Dumber” — “So you’re saying there’s a chance” — and you get the idea of the postgame vibe.
That it required drama stood in stark contrast to the early action. The Rockies did something in the fourth inning that seemed implausible a week ago. They hammered Lincecum, who had been making a strong bid to overtake Brandon Webb as the National League’s top pitcher.
Matt Holliday knocked in a run, hardly an accident given the adjustments made in batting practice to prevent his front side from coming off the ball. Brad Hawpe plated him with a double and Troy Tulowitzki, who has hit over .330 since the All-Star break, belted his first home run at Coors Field in exactly two months.
A five-run lead, Lincecum unplugged, the Rockies had the feel of a heavyweight champ standing over an opponent with a scowl. The comfort was short-lived as the Giants rabbit-punched their way from annoyance to genuine threat.
Shortstop Omar Vizquel, who rarely plays anymore as the team ushers in a youth movement, provided most of the damage. He plated three runs in his first multi-RBI game of the season. Livan Hernandez had limited damage through five, before his tires ran bald. With two runners aboard, Glendon Rusch walked rookie Pablo Sandoval.
It was left to Luis Vizcaino to cleanup the mess in aisle six. His effort was not without casualties. Two RBI singles were sandwiched around a pair of emotional strikeouts, leaving the score tied at 5-all.
In a game where it seemed like everybody but Bruce Ruffin and Curtis Leskanic pitched, Grilli, a man once traded for Hernandez, recorded the most critical outs. With two aboard in the 10th inning, he fanned Emmanuel Burris, whose diving catch of Ian Stewart’s soft liner forced extra innings.
Grilli reacted with multiple fist pumps. With Spilborgh’s punch to right, it was finally over.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
