DETROIT — There was a little extra oomph in that bearhug catcher Yorvit Torrealba laid on closer Huston Street at the end of Saturday night’s game at Comerica Park.
Not only did Street clinch a much-needed 4-3 win for the Rockies when he struck out Tigers catcher Gerald Laird with two men on, Street also notched his 100th save.
“This was a big win for us,” Street said after clinching the victory. “We’ve been saying that a lot, I know, but now we need to win two in a row. We need to start a streak. It’s no longer early in the season. We need to start making things happen.”
The Rockies can finish off their 10-game road trip with a split if they win today.
Street’s 100th save didn’t come without drama. He walked Magglio Ordoñez and pinch-hitter Jeff Larish before fanning Laird.
As for his personal milestone, Street said: “It’s a cool number for me. . . . But now let’s just keep chugging down the road.”
The Rockies halted the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak thanks to Todd Helton and Jason Marquis. The two veterans have been steady in this rocky season.
Helton’s solo homer in the sixth off Armando Galarraga proved to be the game-winner. Marquis, who improved to 6-3, hung tough for 7 2/3 innings, limiting the Tigers to three runs on six hits. His sinker produced 13 groundball outs.
On his homer, Helton planted Galarraga’s 3-0 delivery deep into the right-field stands. It was Helton’s sixth homer, one shy of his total for last season. Need more proof that a healthy back can work wonders? The home run gave Helton 29 RBIs in 144 at-bats. A year ago, he had 29 RBIs in 299 at-bats.
“It’s been all about perseverance,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “This is a man who’s been driven since he started running. He wanted something, and he’s found ways to go get it. I do believe he wanted to finish on his own terms and wanted to get back to a competitive place, somewhere he had not been for two years. And he knew it better than anybody.”
Saturday’s news was not all good. Starting catcher Chris Iannetta strained his right hamstring in the sixth. He reached second on a double, and then Garrett Atkins singled. Normally Iannetta would have tried to score, but after he passed third base he was forced to hold there.
Hurdle wouldn’t speculate how long Iannetta would be out, or who might replace him, but veteran Sal Fasano, playing for Triple-A Colorado Springs, could be the man.
Iannetta’s Saturday night began with a bang when he hit a solo homer in the second, his eighth of the season, providing a 2-0 lead.
Iannetta is batting only .231, but his slugging percentage of .510 is among the team leaders — not far behind Helton’s (.535), in fact, despite the veteran’s .340 batting average.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Tigers, 11:05 a.m., FSN
There was a time when left-hander Dontrelle Willis (1-0, 3.27 ERA) was a phenom with the Marlins. Now he’s trying to rediscover himself as a pitcher, 17 months after he was traded to Detroit. Willis spent the first month of this season on the disabled list, trying to get control of an anxiety disorder. He got his first win as a Tiger on Tuesday, one-hitting the Rangers for 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five, retired 17 straight batters, and got a standing ovation. The Rockies go with right-hander Jason Hammel (0-3, 4.60), who’s still searching for his first victory.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Monday:
Dodgers’ Eric Stults (4-1, 3.82 ERA) vs. Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (0-4, 4.27), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Tuesday:
Dodgers’ Eric Milton (0-0, 4.50) vs. Rockies’ Aaron Cook (3-1, 4.68), 6:40 p.m., FSN
Wednesday:
Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (2-3, 4.32) vs. Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (3-5, 4.25), 1:10 p.m., FSN
Thursday:
Off day
Friday:
Padres’ Josh Geer (0-1, 5.61) vs. Rockies’ Jason Marquis (6-3, 4.45), 7:10 p.m., FSN
