There’s no accounting for the charmed lives of Troy Tulowitzki and Jorge De La Rosa, unless you believe in old-fashioned hard work.
In the season’s first two months, they were everything that was wrong with the Rockies — highly counted-on players who were underachieving. Since June, it could be argued no one has been better in the National League than this duo.
Before the largest nonsellout crowd of the season at Coors Field — a happy, if soggy, throng of 42,201 fans — the Rockies thumped the San Francisco Giants 8-2 on Saturday night to regain sole possession of the lead for the NL wild card.
“This is a lot of fun. It’s a little more for me because all my buddies are Giants fans,” Tulowitzki said. “And everybody is paying attention to these games, so that’s pretty cool.”
Tulowitzki drove in a career-high five runs to nudge the Rockies one game ahead of the Giants in the wild-card standings. De La Rosa won his sixth consecutive start, tying the franchise record. This series was capable of turning the wild-card race into a mess. Instead, it has only confirmed the clubs are evenly matched, with both likely to be trading punches in late September.
While each team is strong, the Giants are uniquely built for their home ballpark. They own an NL-best 15 victories when scoring three or fewer runs.
Even that meager threshold proved ambitious against De La Rosa. After his first 10 starts, the left-hander was 0-6 with a 5.43 ERA. Skepticism prevailed. He has responded by winning eight games since June 1, most in the big leagues.
“It’s exciting. I feel very comfortable on the mound,” said De La Rosa, who has made a concerted effort to work faster. “These games are big for us.”
De La Rosa has relied more heavily on his 95 mph fastball, even sinking it at times. Able to throw that pitch for strikes, he toyed with the Giants’ hitters, fooling them repeatedly with his slider and changeup. He navigated 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs while striking out seven.
“It was the best I have seen him all season,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
Tulowitzki’s success can be traced to his batting stance. Two months ago, he started standing more upright and, more important, added a toe tap to help load his hands into a better position as he shifted his weight back. His 13 home runs since June 8 rank fourth in the majors. He added a three-run shot Saturday.
“Lucky enough I got some pitches up in the zone and I was able to take advantage,” Tulowitzki said.
A three-run rally cleared a path for highly touted prospect Jhoulys Chacin to make his big-league debut. The right-hander worked a scoreless ninth for the Rockies, striking out Juan Uribe for the final out on a slider, a pitch he just added to his repertoire.
“I was nervous, but I took a deep breath and just did what I love to do,” Chacin said. “I am happy I was able to help the team.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Giants at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., FSN
With his sinking fastball, Aaron Cook (9-3, 3.94 ERA) has raised expectations. The Rockies figure they will win on days he pitches, and have done so in seven of his last nine starts. In his last game, Cook paid for a single elevated fastball that Arizona’s Justin Upton crushed for a triple. The right-hander hasn’t faced the Giants this season. He must be careful with Bengie Molina (5-for-16 with three RBIs against him). Ryan Sadowski (2-2, 4.15) is looking for rotation security after the Braves bludgeoned him in his last outing. The right-hander has never faced the Rockies, who have enjoyed great success against rookie pitchers this season. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Monday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (7-9, 3.85 ERA) vs. Mets’ Oliver Perez (2-3, 7.68), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jason Marquis (12-6, 3.49) vs. Mets’ Mike Pelfrey (7-6, 4.99), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-5, 4.28) vs. Mets’ Johan Santana (11-8, 3.12), 5:10 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (8-7, 4.78) vs. Mets’ Jon Niese (1-0, 4.08), 10:10 a.m., no TV
