In September, non-contending teams can kill more dreams than a casting director or first crush.
The Rockies have reluctantly accepted their assignment to snuff out hopes, to apply an ether-soaked towel on the Diamondbacks’ forked-tongues.
But they let the Snakes slither away Saturday in an unlikely manner against an uncommon victim. Stephen Drew’s two-run moonball into the right-field seats off closer Brian Fuentes kept Arizona’s playoff pulse beating in a 5-3 victory.
The Diamondbacks ended their franchise-record 11-game road losing streak. They had been batting near .100 with runners in scoring position this month before Drew launched his 19th home run. Fuentes, in possibly his last appearance as a Rockie at Coors Field, had been dominant, striking out 51 of the last 110 batters faced when Drew strode to the plate.
It was nothing, if not a weird at-bat. Drew nearly doubled down the right-field line, but the ball skipped foul. Then on a 3-2 count, he flipped his bat and jogged to first, only to be summoned back. A four-base trot followed with only a portion of the rain-soaked announced crowd of 38,283 left to groan in disgust.
Manager Clint Hurdle promised Dodgers’ coaches last week that he would play a representative lineup against the Diamondbacks. The Rockies benefited last season when Milwaukee stuck with its regulars in the final weekend to derail the Padres.
But sometimes reality clobbers good intentions. The Rockies’ lineup and rotation have become fluid. Matt Holliday sat out Saturday with a stiff back and is not expected to play again until Tuesday. Starter Jeff Francis has been shut down for the season and there’s a strong possibility that Aaron Cook could join him, sitting out his final start Friday at Arizona.
Hurdle raised that possibility before Saturday’s game. Cook has been bothered by back stiffness for much of the second half. If this was his last game, his performance cataloged nicely with one of the best seasons ever by a Rockies starter.
Cook worked 6 1/3 innings and threw 114 pitches, his second most this year, trying unsuccessfully in his fourth attempt to tie the single-season record for wins. He remains stuck on 16 wins, and after logging 211 1/3 innings might be given a rest to allow Jason Hirsh to start this week.
Cook surrendered three runs, but only two earned, grinding on max effort after 80 pitches. After a wobbly start – the Diamondbacks scored after just three batters – the right-hander’s sinker returned. An error, however, doomed his chance at history.
With two aboard in the seventh, pinch-hitter Tony Clark rocketed a moonball to the right-center gap. Willy Taveras had shaded him the opposite way, leaving him sprinting roughly 50 yards to catch up.
His speed worked against him as he overran the ball, leaving it to clank off his glove.
In fairness, Cook should have been operating with a lead, Colorado’s offense consistently primarily of Jeff Baker (RBI single and his 11th home run).
The Rockies backed Arizona’s Doug Davis into a corner in the fourth, loading the bases. Troy Tulowitzki scored on Baker’s blooper, but Clint Barmes’ soft liner to short and Ian Stewart’s strikeout on a 72 mph curveball sprayed mace on the uprising.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
