When Jason Hammel induced Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond to hit into an inning-ending groundout in the top of the fourth Saturday night, the Rockies pitcher stomped off the mound, irritated with himself.
The batter before, Roger Bernadina, laced a two-run double off Hammel to help get the Nationals back into the game. When Hammel reached the dugout, however, he began practicing better anger management, and by the end of the night he was rewarded with his first victory of the season in Colorado’s 4-3 win to sweep a doubleheader.
A 10-game winner last year for the Rockies, Hammel was more than frustrated at not having done enough to help a rotation that basically has been “Ubaldo Jimenez and a few other guys” so far.
With a win finally in his column for 2010, Hammel hopes this is the start of a joyous rest of the season.
“I just didn’t execute a pitch there (to Bernadina), and that was what was going wrong with the other starts. I would let that boil over into the next couple innings,” said Hammel, who entered the game with a 0-2 record and 9.16 ERA. “After that, you’ve got to calm down. (We) still have the lead there, and you can’t let things blow up. I did a good job of making pitches after that.”
Hammel acknowledged feeling the pressure of his situation. Rockies history is littered with starters who had one good year, then were in the bullpen or worse in a year or two.
“That first month, I was too worried about results and thinking negatively,” Hammel said. “I went back to a positive attitude and just stayed aggressive and attacked the hitters tonight. That was it.”
Rockies starters not named Jimenez entered Saturday with a 7-10 record and a 5.68 ERA. With Jeff Francis slated to return to the rotation today and Hammel back in winning form, the Rockies’ rotation could start rounding back into shape. That’s the hope of manager Jim Tracy, because no team can win with just one reliable starter.
“This is a steppingstone for us,” Tracy said. “What Jason needs is to realize how good he is. And the inning after we put runs on the board, he’s got to put the opposition down and give us a chance to extend it for him.”
Hammel went seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out seven. Besides carrying the poor numbers, he spent some time on the disabled list with a groin injury.
“It’s good to see that April is in the past,” Hammel said. “I think I was nibbling too much before. Tonight, I just attacked the hitters and just thought, ‘OK here it is, hit it.’ That’s what felt good for me.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360, adater@denverpost.com or
