The joint was jumping, rally caps were in place and the spirit was willing.
But the Atlanta Braves refused to partake in the festivities.
They quashed a Rockies’ comeback and hung on for a 4-3 victory Saturday night at Coors Field. This one’s going to sting for a while, especially for those Rockies who couldn’t get the big hit when it was needed most.
Seth Smith stirred up the last bit of hope in the ninth with a leadoff blooper to center off closer Rafael Soriano. But Soriano struck out Ryan Spilborghs, Dexter Fowler and Clint Barmes in methodical fashion to end the game.
In the eighth, Chris Iannetta came up with Todd Helton on second and Ian Stewart on first. But Braves reliever Manny Acosta jammed Iannetta, busting his bat and inducing a weak dribbler to short for the third out.
The Rockies were put in a desperate situation because their sputtering offense was dormant for the first six innings.
Jair Jurrjens might sound like a character out of a “Star Wars” movie, but he’s actually the Braves’ talented young right-hander who generally confounds the Rockies.
He did exactly that until Troy Tulowitzki unloaded a leadoff homer in the seventh, slicing Atlanta’s lead to 4-1. Next, Ian Stewart doubled off the center-field wall, ending Jurrjens’ evening. In came reliever Peter Moylan, who gave up a run-scoring single to Seth Smith. The Rockies cut the lead to 4-3 when Smith advanced to third on Garrett Atkins’ pinch-hit single and scored on a passed ball charged to Braves catcher Brian McCann.
Jason Marquis, attempting to become the first Rockies pitcher to reach the all-star break with 12 victories, simply didn’t have his best stuff. That was obvious in second when the Braves scored two runs on four hits, including a lead-off double by McCann. Marquis’ sinker, perhaps the best in the National League this season, had little movement on it.
But Marquis, Staten Island battler that he is, kept the Rockies in the game. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.
The Rockies wasted some early chances against Jurrjens, who improved to 4-1 against them. Fowler was left stranded on third base in both the first and third innings. In the first, Tulowitzki’s two-out laser was snared by shortstop Diory Hernandez, ending the threat. In the third, Fowler laced a one-out triple to the right-field corner, but Barmes struck out and Helton grounded out, leaving Fowler 90 feet from home.
All-star Brad Hawpe has slipped into a bit of a Mid-Summer Classic slump. He went 0-for-4 Saturday, has just one RBI in his last nine games and is batting .179 (5-for-28) on the current homestand. With Helton perched on second in the sixth inning, he grounded out to end the inning. With Helton on first in the eighth, Hawpe struck out.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
