SAN DIEGO — The mosh pit formed quickly at second base Tuesday, the Padres expressing celebration as much as relief.
With one swat by Brian Giles, the Padres beat the Rockies 2-1 in 10 innings, snapping their six-game losing streak and leaving Colorado winless in eight one-run games this season.
“Once again, we just can’t do enough to win,” said shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
The loss was an intersection of a star and an inspiring newcomer. Giles, the Padres’ most accomplished player, doubled to right-center off rookie reliever Matt Daley. It was a memorable eight-pitch confrontation.
“His fastball was sneaky,” Giles would say later.
But when the rookie left one out over the plate Giles didn’t miss, drilling a double into right center to plate Luis Rodriguez.
Two weeks ago, Daley wasn’t on the Rockies’ roster. By Tuesday, he was a feel-good story, the sleeves-rolled-up kid from Bucknell with a growing role in the bullpen. He pitched impressively in the ninth inning, retiring the two batters he faced. He, not Jason Grilli, went out for the 10th because manager Clint Hurdle was impressed with his efficiency.
“It was just a case of him meeting up with a veteran hitter,” said Padres broadcaster Tony Gwynn, clearly impressed with Daley.
A walk to the pinch-hitter Rodriguez ultimately sabotaged the right-hander.
“That’s just a tough way for him to lose. He did well. Hopefully he can just shake this off,” said starter Aaron Cook.
The Rockies were once again in position to win because of their catcher. All Chris Iannetta does is hit home runs. Of his 12 hits this season, six have reached the seats, including another second-deck shot in the eighth inning off Padres starter Josh Geer.
There was something to glean from the game beyond the box score. Forget Tulowitzki. Tulo returned Tuesday. What he did with his glove was the equivalent of Clark Kent taking off his wire-rim glasses or Dr. David Banner turning a few shades of lime. In the fifth inning, he made arguably his best defensive play since his Tim Tebow jump throw at Dodger Stadium in 2007.
With the Rockies trailing by 1-0 and Giles at first base, David Eckstein splintered a broken-bat roller toward the hole. Tulowitzki snared it and threw an off-balance dart to Todd Helton. Garrett Atkins’ attempt at the groundball left no one covering third, which Giles keenly recognized. He raced toward third, but Tulowitzki, his momentum taking him that way, beat him there and scooped a Helton throw for the rare 6-3-6 double play.
“I was trying to cover the bag and saw that he had it, and just yelled to him, ‘You’ve got it,’ ” Cook said. “That’s not something you see everyday.”
Replays showed that Giles beat the tag, but the statistics do not. Tulowitzki followed with a diving double-play flip in the sixth inning to second baseman Ian Stewart, who barehanded the ball to complete the turn.
That the Padres held only a 1-0 lead for much of the game was as sense of accomplishment for Cook. They loaded the bases in the first with one out and managed only one run on a sacrifice fly by Jody Gerut.
Cook had his heavy sinker working, the one that acts like a manhole cover falling off a bridge. It was further evidence that his mechanics, namely a slight over stride in his delivery, are fixed. Cook worked eight innings, allowing just six hits, lowering his lifetime ERA against the Padres to 2.71 in 144 1/3 innings.
Problem was Geer was just as good. In one of the best performances of his career, Geer, a poor man’s Cook, surrendered a single run in eight innings. He handed it over to the bullpen, which has gone from Hell’s Bells to Heath Bell. Working for just the second time in the last 14 games, Bell muzzled the Rockies for two innings.
“We had opportunities and couldn’t get it done,” Tulowitzki said. “It’s frustrating.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Giants at Rockies, 6:40 p.m., FSN
Randy Johnson (2-2, 4.50 ERA) will be going for his 298th career win. The 45-year-old mauled the Rockies last weekend in San Francisco, holding them to four hits in seven innings. Save for Todd Helton, manager Clint Hurdle will flood the lineup with right-handed hitters. Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4, 6.58) hasn’t won since April 7, dropping four consecutive decisions, one shy of his career high. His mechanics improved, Jimenez made progress in his meeting last week with Johnson, striking out five Giants over seven innings. Jimenez’s last victory at Coors Field came Sept. 16 last season. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Thursday:
Giants’ Matt Cain (2-1, 3.09) vs. Rockies’ Jason Marquis (4-1, 3.31), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Friday
Marlins’ Ricky Nolasco (1-3, 7.03) vs. Rockies’ Jason Hammel (0-0, 3.45), 7:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday:
Marlins’ Josh Johnson (2-0, 2.57) vs. Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (0-2, 3.90), 6:10 p.m., FSN
Sunday:
Marlins’ Chris Volstad (2-1, 2.97) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (1-1, 5.67), 1:10 p.m., FSN
