DETROIT — Who would have thought the Rockies had this much Motown mojo in them?
But there they were, on a bright afternoon today at Comerica Park, walking off the field 3-1 victors over the Tigers and starter Dontrelle Willis.
The Rockies — reeling after two blowout losses in Atlanta, and with the heat increasing daily on manager Clint Hurdle — suddenly look like a resilient ballclub. By taking two of three from the Tigers, they finished 5-5 on their 10-day road trip.
Colorado’s heroes were familiar: Todd Helton. And unlikely: starter Jason Hammel and utility outfielder Matt Murton.
Hammel earned his first win in a Rockies uniform, allowing one run in six innings. He gave up six hits and got into trouble twice, but he never melted down.
Helton continues as an RBI machine. He tied the game 1-1 in the fifth, driving in Dexter Fowler with a double to right field off Willis. Helton solved Willis again in the seventh, slicing a single up the middle to score Ian Stewart, giving the Rockies a 2-1 lead.
Murton, batting cleanup and getting the start in left, followed up with a double to the gap in right-center, scoring Helton.
Helton’s 2-for-5 performance improved his average to .342. He’s already knocked in 31 runs, two more than he delivered all last season when he struggled with painful, chronic back problems.
Hammel averted disaster in the Tigers’ one-run second inning. Though he walked Magglio Ordonez and Adam Everett, and gave up a single to Inge and an RBI-single to Dane Sardinha, Hammel escaped when Josh Anderson grounded out to Clint Barmes at second for an inning-ending double play.
In the sixth, Miguel Cabrera and Ordonez singled, but Ryan Spilborghs bailed out Hammel. Spilborghs raced into foul territory in the right-field corner to snare a drive by the dangerous Brandon Inge, ending the inning.
Rockies relievers Randy Flores, Manuel Corpas and Huston Street blanked the Tigers in the final three innings. Street picked up his seventh save.
Willis, trying to round back into the form that once made him an all-star, threw 6 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on seven hits. Though he walked four, he kept his wildness mostly in check.
The Rockies host the National League West-leading Dodgers Monday afternoon at Coors Field.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
