SAN FRANCISCO — Troy Tulo- witzki hit a home run and attempted to deliver a life lesson Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park.
As Tulowitzki warmed up in the on-deck circle in the fifth inning, he was the target of loud profanity. It came from a group of teenagers who were coaxed by an older man whom Tulowitzki described as a “vulgar adult.”
Undeterred, Tulowitzki went to the plate and clubbed a homer to deep center field off Giants starter Matt Cain. It was Tulowitzki’s 24th homer, tying his output in his magical 2007 rookie season. After touching home plate, Tulowitzki pointed an “I told you so” finger at the mouthy group near the Rockies’ dugout.
“It’s one thing to come to a game and watch and root on your favorite players and to boo the other team,” he said. “But when you are cussing in front of kids and doing things that are inappropriate, I’m going to say something. Anytime I came to a big-league game as a kid, I respected the players. There were definitely some inappropriate things being said and some things being thrown.”
After he hit the home run and pointed his finger, the rowdy fans’ behavior didn’t change. Nonetheless, Tulowitzki was glad he had his say.
“They were all over me after the game,” he said. “But I just wanted to make the point that they should respect big-league players, because someday they might be in our shoes. I wasn’t trying to psyche anybody or show anybody up.”
September moves.
Although manager Jim Tracy wouldn’t reveal whom the Rockies will call up from the minors Tuesday, he did confirm that one player would be a catcher. In all likelihood, that will be Paul Phillips, who hit .310 (13-for-42) in 13 games with the Rockies this season.
Phillips’ promotion would give the Rockies three catchers for the September stretch run. Tracy said he wouldn’t hesitate to mix and match the catchers.
Tracy’s major emphasis will be on getting more pieces to work with in the bullpen. A key will likely be lefty Randy Flores, who was sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs after a rough stint with the Rockies earlier this season. Flores, who had shoulder surgery last season with the Cardinals, is healthy and pitching effectively. Since Aug. 2, he has thrown 12 1/3 scoreless innings in 13 appearances. In his last 14 games, he has 17 strikeouts and just one walk.
Footnotes.
Todd Helton and Tulowitzki hit back-to-back homers in the fifth, the seventh such feat this season for the Rockies. . . . The Rockies went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position Sunday and 4-for-24 in the series. . . . Carlos Gonzalez, his bruised left thumb close to 100 percent healed, started in center field and went 1-for-4.
