Resurrection. Reincarnation. Nine lives. Voodoo in LoDo.
There’s no explanation for it, other than the Rockies coming back from the dead Saturday night at Coors Field to win for the 15th time in 16 games.
Todd Helton’s walk-off, two-run blast off Jesse Chavez threw Coors Field into bedlam and gave the Rockies a 9-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Just prior to Helton’s heroics, pinch-hitter extraordinaire Seth Smith squeezed off a single to right.
The Rockies looked dead and buried entering the eighth inning.
They trailed 7-4, but tied the game on a monstrous three-run homer by Chris Iannetta to center field off of Pittsburgh reliever John Grabow.
The Pirates put the go-ahead run on third base in the ninth against closer Huston Street. Nyjer Morgan hit a one-out single, stole second, advanced to third on Iannetta’s throw error. But Street squelched the rally, getting Andy LaRoche to ground out to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
Before the craziness, the Pirates picked on Rockies starter Jason Hammel and a shaky relief corps, rallying for five late runs to put the Rockies in a 7-4 hole.
Ian Stewart’s two-run cannon shot beyond center field drove in Troy Tulowitzki in the sixth, giving the Rockies a 4-2 lead. Stewart finished the night a single short of becoming the first Rockie since Mike Lansing on June 18, 2000, to hit for the cycle.
After Stewart’s homer, the night got sour in a hurry. Hammel, his fastball command lacking, loaded the bases with no outs.
Enter reliever Matt Daley, a possible replacement for injured setup man Manuel Corpas.
Before the game, Daley talked about his mental toughness and ability to let go of tough losses and blown innings. That philosophy will be put to the test, after the Pirates raked him.
To be fair, inheriting a no-out bases-loaded situation is dicey. But Daley opened the door instead of shutting it. He gave up a three-run triple to speedster Andrew McCutchen that turned a lead into a 5-4 deficit. Morgan laced a single up the middle to drive in McCutchen, increasing Pittsburgh’s advantage to 6-4.
The Pirates piled on in the eighth against reliever Alan Embree. LaRoche doubled and scored on a single by Brandon Moss.
Stewart’s big night began in the second with a slicing double to right that scored Troy Tulowitzki from first. Stewart tripled in the fourth, scoring on Carlos Gonzalez’s single up the middle, tying the game 2-all.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
