SAN DIEGO — Like Letterman and Leno, the Rockies were great when it was late.
For eight innings, their new reputation seemed a bit overblown. They made baserunning mistakes, committed a throwing error and had two fielders collide in the outfield. Then, with everything tilted against them and the crowd on its feet, the National League’s unquestioned kings of cool and clutch pulled out a 4-1 victory.
If you’re keeping score at home, Friday night’s star was Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba. He delivered a three-run, two-out double in the ninth inning, the Rockies’ dugout erupting like a volcano in celebration of their eighth straight win.
That swing left everything possible, keeping the Rockies two games behind the division-leading Dodgers and 5 1/2 games ahead of the Giants in the wild-card race.
“We’ve had some big wins since May,” manager Jim Tracy said, “but this was easily the most dramatic.”
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Sure, the Rockies are baseball’s best team since June 4. But this outcome seemed sealed. Two pinch hitters had struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh and ninth innings.
And Padres closer Heath Bell had Torrealba cornered, the count 2-2. The beefy right- hander hadn’t blown a save at Petco Park all season in 19 chances. Leave it to the Rockies to mock history again.
Bell grunted, firing a 94-mph fastball toward the plate. Torrealba sent it to the left-center gap like a seat-seeking missile. It bounced off the wall, scoring all three runs, including a sliding Jason Giambi.
“Our goal is to win the division,” Tracy said of his team not knowing how to spell quit.
Makes perfect sense. Shoot for the penthouse suite, so worst-case scenario you settle for an ocean-view loft. All that matters is reaching the postseason. Ubaldo Jimenez is already lined up to start the first playoff game on Oct. 7, whether that’s in St. Louis or at Coors Field.
In a similar position earlier this week, the Padres squashed San Francisco, taking to the role of spoiler. But the Rockies are harder to kill than a cockroach.
Until Torrealba’s at-bat, the Padres seemed to play it perfectly. They took Seth Smith out, intentionally walking him to load the bases in the seventh. Ryan Spilborghs fanned in what appeared to be the most crucial at-bat of the night.
That was, of course, until Torrealba. He has been an offensive catalyst over the last month, taking over as the starting catcher. And this at-bat conjured up memories of 2007, when nearly every one of his September hits seemed to drive in a run.
In the ninth, Bell walked Giambi to load the bases, then struck out Matt Murton. When he got ahead of Torrealba, the crowd began to hum. But on contact, there was a groan. In this case, it was the Petco crowd, but it might as well have been the Giants.
“I was surprised he kept throwing me fastballs,” Torrealba said. “But when I hit it, I knew it was good. It was kind of crazy.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
