ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Colorado Rockies arrived in California at 3 a.m. Friday morning with sleepy eyes and tired bodies. They were, after all, coming off a draining 4-hour, 48-minute, 10-inning loss to the Red Sox Thursday night at Coors Field.
But with heavy doses of caffeine and plenty of moxie, they hung tough at Angels Stadium late into Friday night.
The Rockies won the game 4-3 in the 11th on Jonathan Herrera’s two-out single off Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez. Herrera, who had three hits, steered a grounder through the left side to score Chris Iannetta. Iannetta began the rally with a two-out double down the right-field line.
“It’s been a long 48 hours … well I guess it’s only a long 24 hours,” Iannetta said. “We played a really long game against the Red Sox. It was hard tonight, and it looked like both sides were really tired.”
Herrera, who struck out three times in his first three at bats, rallied with three singles in his last three at-bats, including the game-winning hit.
“I never give up, because I know the game is 27 outs,” said Herrera, who has hit safely in seven straight games at a .467 clip (14-for-30).
Reliever Manuel Corpas, coming off a meltdown last weekend against the Brewers, got Jeff Mathis to ground out to second to put an end to the marathon. Corpas notched his 10th save of the season.
Friday night’s 4-hour, 1-minute victory provided an energizing start to a crucial six-game West Coast road trip. The Rockies remained four games behind San Diego in the National League West.
“This we a really, really nice win for us,” manager Jim Tracy said. “Tired or not, I think we are reaching the point of the season where you don’t want to let any game you feel like you have a chance to win get away.”
The Rockies wasted a prime chance to put the game away in the 10th inning, but Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen struck out Ryan Spilborghs looking with the bases loaded. Whiffs were to be the Rockies” constant companion on this long night. All told, they struck out 16 times, but still managed a victory.
The Rockies tied the game 3-3 in the eighth against reliever Fernando Rodney, who’s usually untouchable at Angel Stadium. Herrera led off with a bloop single to right and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Carlos Gonzalez slapped a single to right to score Herrera. That snapped Rodney’s streak of 27 consecutive successful save chances at home.
Rockies starter Jeff Francis cruised into sixth, holding a 2-1 lead. His only early hiccup had come in the second when he gave up two singles and a sacrifice fly to Jeff Mathis. But the Angels began zeroing in on Francis in the sixth. Kevin Frandsen lined a double and scored easily on a scorching double to left-center by designated hitter Torii Hunter, tying the game 2-2.
In the seventh, with the incessant image of Anaheim’s wild-eyed “Rally Monkey” dancing on the jumbotron, the Angels chased Francis and took a 3-2 lead. Mike Napoli led off with a single, moved to second on a sweet bunt by Jeff Mathis and scored on Reggie Willits” single. Rafael Betancourt, the Rockies” ultra-deliberate reliever, came in to snuff out the rally.
The Rockies took a brief lead in the fifth. Iannetta, getting a rare start behind the plate, waited on a 78 mph slider by Anaheim starter Jered Weaver and blasted it beyond the left-field wall for a two-run homer and a 2-1 Rockies advantage. It was Iannetta’s first homer since a 10th-inning walkoff shot against the Mets on April 14 at Coors Field. Ian Stewart — finding his groove again after a brutal June swoon — led off the inning with a sharp single up the middle.
The Rockies created their own Santa Ana winds with all of their swings and misses. Weaver, the right-handed ace and possible all-star pick, struck out 11 in his seven innings. It was his second straight game with 11 Ks. He whiffed Herrera, the Rockies” leadoff hitter, three times.
Weaver made Colorado look especially helpless in the early going. He struck out seven over the first three innings. Dating back to his last start in Chicago against the Cubs, he had whiffed 12 of 19 batters he’d faced.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Angels, 8:05 p.m., FSN
Tonight’s game matches two struggling pitchers. The Rockies’ Aaron Cook (2-4, 4.82 ERA) has been searching for his lost sinker most of the season. Plus, he has been terrible on the road, where he is 0-4 with a 7.38 ERA. However, he is coming off a promising start against the Brewers at Coors Field, when he allowed one run on just three hits in seven innings in a no-decision. Angels lefty Joe Saunders (5-8, 5.07) had an awful start at Chicago’s Wrigley Field last Sunday. He got the hook after a scant 2 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs (five earned) on nine hits and two walks. But coming home might not be that comforting for Saunders. He’s 1-6 with a 6.75 ERA in eight starts at Angel Stadium. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Sunday: Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (4-6, 3.56 ERA) at Angels’ Ervin Santana (7-5, 3.91), 1:35 p.m., FSN
Monday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (13-1, 1.60) at Padres’ Kevin Correia (5-5, 5.14), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-3, 4.31) vs. Padres’ Wade LeBlanc (4-5, 3.16), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-2, 3.53) vs. Padres’ Clayton Richard (5-4, 2.75), 1:35 p.m., FSN
