Todd Helton has experienced good times, bad times, but never any times like these.
So it should come as no surprise he’s going to great lengths to change his luck. He drove to Coors Field on Thursday in his vintage Camaro, stopping outside the entry gate to sign autographs, a change from his normal routine.
He also found himself in a new spot in the lineup, hitting second for the first time this season.
The changes, at least for one day, worked. The Rockies first baseman produced his first multi-hit game since May 25 with singles in the fourth and eighth innings.
“I felt comfortable hitting there,” said Helton after snapping out of a 3-for-39 skid. “The one at-bat (in the eighth), I felt really good. Hopefully, I can build off that.”
Manager Jim Tracy said he wants Helton to focus on reaching base, not driving in runs.
Helton singled in the fourth inning, and briefly sparked the offense with a nifty base-running move. On Troy Tulowitzki’s line drive, Helton slowed at second, tricking center fielder Michael Bourn before taking off and sliding safely into third.
“Nobody in the ballpark thought I was going to go there,” Helton said.
Tulowitzki scored later on a shallow sacrifice fly, tying the score at 2-all.
“Todd has hit into more hard outs than anyone on the team,” Tulowitzki said. “He’s doing a lot better than his numbers suggest.”
Will Parker pass on football?
Rockies first-round pick Kyle Parker is an accomplished quarterback at Clemson. Rockies scouting director Bill Schmidt said the idea of Parker playing football, while starting his minor-league career, is negotiable.
There is pressure for Parker to stay on the football field, but the Rockies feel the outfielder is ready to focus exclusively on baseball. He’s in line roughly for $1.3 million based on last season’s slot money for the 26th pick.
Footnotes.
Rockies pitcher Jhouyls Chacin wasn’t watching. And that was a good thing. After Chacin got his first hit, the umpire rolled the ball back to the Rockies’ dugout for the pitcher to have as a keepsake. Another Rockies player immediately tossed what appeared to be the ball into the crowd. It’s a common trick played on Rockies. The game ball was safely tucked away. . . . Astros catcher Humberto Quintero went 7-for-12 with three extra-base hits in the series. … Jorge De La Rosa (finger) and Taylor Buchholz (back) will throw bullpen sessions Saturday.
