If the Blake Street Bombers played heavy metal, this year’s Rockies have spent the past six weeks strumming their acoustic guitars.
As in, no power.
The Rockies’ Nos. 3 and 4 hitters, most often Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki, have combined for one home run. Before Saturday, no Rockies hitter other than Miguel Olivo and Ian Stewart had homered since April 28.
Said manager Jim Tracy, when asked if he were concerned about the lack of pop in the lineup, “I’m not. Because those types of things go in waves.”
Sure enough, Jason Giambi homered in the first game of Saturday’s split doubleheader against Washington. And then, as if on cue, Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith went deep in back-to-back at-bats in the third inning of game two, helping the Rockies to a 4-3 victory.
The sweep — Ubaldo Jimenez won his seventh game in the opener, allowing seven hits in eight innings of work — evened the Rockies’ record at 18-18, four games better than their 14-22 mark after 36 games in 2009.
Jeff Francis will make his first start since 2008 in Sunday’s series finale, squaring off against the Nationals’ Scott Olsen.
Gonzalez got the Rockies started in the nightcap with a two-run homer in the third, his fourth of thee season. Smith followed with his fifth to make it 3-0. Smith started both games in place of Dexter Fowler, he of the .194 batting average in May.
The Nationals scored two in the fourth and tied it on Adam Dunn’s ninth home run in the sixth. It was Dunn’s second home run of the day, the first coming on a towering shot into the third deck in right field off Jimenez.
Dunn’s bat got the Nats even in the sixth, but helped the Rockies win it in with a run in the seventh. Paul Phillips led off the inning with an infield single and was on third when Smith grounded a ball up the middle.
Washington shortstop Ian Desmond grabbed the ball on the run and threw a one-hop throw to Dunn at first. Desmond received an error on the play, but it was a long hop, the type of throw Dunn would normally make the play on.
Instead, the ball popped out of his glove and Phillips scored what proved to be the game-winning run.
Jason Hammel (1-2) came off the disabled list to start for the Rockies and pitched well, allowing three earned runs and striking out seven in seven innings. Manny Corpas came on in the ninth for his first save, the bullpen’s fourth in eight chances.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
