Hardheadedness has been a blessing and a curse for Aaron Cook.
It made him a quality pitcher, but it could only take him so far.
“The first couple of years we were together, Aaron had a real stubborn streak, thinking all he needed was his sinker and the guts he takes to the mound every time,” pitching coach Bob Apodaca said.
But in the Rockies’ 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, Cook had a lot more going on. Deftly mixing in a slider and cutter with his sinker, he cooled off the Rays and tied Jason Jennings for most wins in Rockies history.
On a perfect late-spring night, the Rockies won for the 12th time in their last 13 games, snapped the Rays’ six-game winning streak and rebounded from a 12-4 loss to the Rays on Tuesday night.
Cook was most gratified to get the Rockies back on track and help move them within a game of .500. That’s not to say he didn’t cherish a piece of a franchise milestone.
“It means a lot,” Cook said. “But I don’t want it to end here. I realize we have a lot of baseball left this season. I have to take the ball every fifth day and give us a chance to win.”
Wednesday’s victory was the 58th win of Cook’s career. Jennings — 58-56 in a Rockies uniform — needed 155 games to snare No. 58. Cook (58-47) needed 154.
Judging by his performance over the last three games, and his willingness to budge a little bit, there are a lot more wins in Cook’s future.
“I’m very stubborn, no doubt,” Cook said with a grin. “But now I have more of a game plan when I use my slider. I know I have my sinker when I need it, but knowing how to pitch better, and think better, has made me more comfortable out there.”
Hitters were beginning to lay in wait for Cook’s sinker. Lefties especially were sitting on the pitch just long enough to take it to left field.
“That was getting me in a lot of jams,” Cook said. “I needed to start mixing it up.”
Tampa lefty David Price’s raw firepower was no match for the Rockies’ bats in a four-run second, highlighted by Troy Tulowitzki’s three-run homer to center. It was Tulowitzki’s ninth homer, his fourth in nine games.
The Rockies added a comfort run in the fourth on Chris Iannetta’s leadoff homer.
Cook coasted until the fourth inning, when Carlos Peña clobbered a leadoff double and scored on Pat Burrell’s single.
Things got sticky in the fifth when the Rays cut Colorado’s lead to 5-3. Cook labored with 28 pitches in the inning, giving up back-to-back solo homers to Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria.
But Cook bore down, shutting down the Rays in the sixth and seventh. He ended the sixth by getting Burrell to fly out to right, no small thing considering Burrell entered the game 11-for-16 (.688) with one homer and four RBIs vs. Cook.
“Cook had to get a guy out who was as tough statistically as anybody in their lineup,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “Being the professional that he is, he set our bullpen up perfectly.”
Manuel Corpas set the Rays down in order in the eighth, striking out Ben Zobrist and Burrell.
“I didn’t use my sinker except for one pitch,” Corpas said. “I used my four-seamer and my slider. I wanted to keep them thinking.”
The Rays went three up and three down in the ninth as closer Huston Street notched his 14th save in 15 opportunities.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
