ST. LOUIS — When the lineup appeared on the corkboard outside the kitchen, the storyline was revealed.
Saturday night would be about The Next Big Thing. He has more tools than Mr. Goodwrench. Can change a game with one swing. Carlos Gonzalez? Nope, try Ian Stewart.
It was supposed to be Gonzalez’s time to bathe in the spotlight, but it was Stewart who needed UV protection after a prodigious performance. The 24-year-old crushed two home runs in the Rockies’ 10-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
“You can definitely see he has a live bat,” lamented Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.
The win was Colorado’s third straight, tying its longest streak of the season. That number is essentially irrelevant until the Rockies (23-32) can reach .500. This will be remembered as the night Stewart arrived.
“When I struck out looking in the second, (manager Jim) Tracy was like, ‘What are you doing? That bat is a weapon,’ ” Stewart said. “I like that about him. He’s not afraid to get on me.”
The issue is no longer if he’s going to play, but where. He can’t go back to the bench. The days of platooning at second and third and performing more odd jobs than Arm & Hammer should end. Forget sentiment and loyalty to veterans, Stewart leads the team in home runs with 11. He has blasted three in the last four games, and plated 12 runs.
He’s going deep every 12 at-bats. He can’t sit. Not now. Perhaps not ever.
“With the way he’s swinging the bat,” said Tracy, “shame on me if he’s not in there.”
That won’t be an issue today because third baseman Garrett Atkins will start at first to spell Todd Helton. Come Monday, Atkins could feel the pinch, and possibly even Troy Tulowitzki, if he doesn’t hit, since Clint Barmes can move to short, leaving Stewart at second.
Stewart’s best position is third base. In case anyone needed a reminder, he made a play in the eighth inning that conjured up memories of Scott Rolen. Tyler Greene hit a shot that Stewart backhanded. He then jumped into the air like Tim Tebow, firing a dart across to Helton for the out.
“As he would say, that was sick,” Barmes said.
Gonzalez made two strong plays in the outfield with over-the-shoulder catches but was not a factor at the plate. Others were. Barmes had a three-run home run and is clearly a favorite of Tracy’s, as the Rockies reached double figures in three straight road games for the first time since April 9, 2006, at Petco Park.
Truth is, Aaron Cook only needed Stewart’s fourth-inning blast off Todd Wellemeyer to secure the win.
Cook worked eight innings, surrendering four hits. He left broken bats and a battery of groundouts in his wake.
An ace pitcher, a dynamic lineup. This is what the Rockies expected when they arrived in spring training. It might be too late to save this season, but it’s just the beginning for Stewart.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Cardinals, 12:15 p.m., FSN
The worst part of this matchup for Ubaldo Jimenez? It’s in the sunshine. Jimenez (3-6, 4.11 ERA) is 0-3 with a 6.53 record in day games. And he’s never beaten the Cardinals. He has worked into the sixth inning in seven consecutive starts. Joel Piñeiro (5-5, 3.86) joins Darryl Kile, Chuck Finley and Woody Williams in a long line of pitching coach Dave Duncan reclamation projects. Piñeiro has held opponents to a .229 average at Busch Stadium, but Brad Hawpe is 4-for-5 against him.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Monday:
Rockies’ Jason Marquis (7-4, 4.10) vs. Cardinals’ Brad Thompson (0-1, 4.12), 12:15 p.m., no TV
Tuesday:
Rockies’ Jason Hammel (2-3, 4.50) vs. Brewers’ Braden Looper (5-3, 4.65), 6 p.m., FSN
Wednesday:
Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (1-6, 5.28) vs. Brewers’ Dave Bush (3-2, 4.52), 6 p.m., FSN
Thursday:
Rockies’ Aaron Cook (4-3, 4.50) vs. Brewers’ Yavoni Gallardo (6-2, 2.84), 12:05 p.m., no TV
