PHOENIX — In the hottest place on Earth, summer has become a time for dreams to melt away. There was a chill at Chase Field, the Arizona Diamondbacks frozen in place, owners of a double-digit losing streak that has all but knocked them out of playoff contention and put heads on the chopping block.
Which is why they were a tough team to face Friday night. They had to win sometime, or at least score. They did both before a stunned crowd. The Diamondbacks’ offense finally awoke, ending nearly two weeks of sleepless nights with a 7-6 victory over the Rockies.
“This is disappointing,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “We created too many opportunities for them. We deserved to get beat.”
Manuel Corpas became the unlikely victim, his string of five consecutive saves ending when Gerardo Parra and Ryan Roberts produced back-to-back, run-scoring singles in the ninth inning.
The Rockies played well enough to win and appeared to have the game in their grips after the eighth. Reliever Rafael Betancourt pulled off his best white-knuckle performance since Sept. 16 in San Francisco. With bases loaded and one out in the eighth, the right-hander fanned Justin Upton and Stephen Drew on chest-high fastballs. Betancourt has regained his setup role after striking out six of the last seven batters he has faced.
But Corpas couldn’t protect the one-run lead, showing little command of his sinker.
While the Diamondbacks have reached a forked tongue in the road — they are mulling major roster changes — Colorado appeared to be gaining traction.
They were finding ways to win, even if sometimes it seems like they are doing it with duct tape. They took the last series in San Francisco despite scoring only seven runs.
“Given the pitching in the division, I don’t think that’s the last time you will see that happen,” Tracy said.
Perhaps, but it will be a shock if it occurs in Phoenix. It has quietly become one of the best hitters’ parks in the big leagues.
All of the Rockies’ runs came on home runs, but the most productive swing featured familiarity and elevation. With the score tied at 3 in the sixth, Ian Stewart stepped into the box against Ian Kennedy. Nothing unusual here except for the fact the two were high school teammates in Garden Grove, Calif. If anyone could predict what Kennedy might throw, it was Stewart.
He certainly acted like he knew what was coming, turning a first-pitch, 89-mph fastball into a moonball that landed in the right-field stands.
Stewart’s three-run blast extended a strange statistical oddity for the third baseman. All seven of his home runs this season have come on the road.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Road warrior
Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart clubbed a three-run home run Friday, continuing a bizarre split in his season. Unthinkable pre-humidor, Stewart has done nearly all of his damage on the road. The splits:
HR XBH RBIs
Road 7 13 19
Home 0 3 11
