ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels landed a roundhouse punch to the Rockies’ jaw shortly after the opening bell Saturday night.
Although the Rockies scrambled up off the canvas, and even threw a few punches of their own, it wasn’t enough to escape a 4-2 defeat at Angel Stadium.
Early mistakes spoiled what could have been a banner night for starter Aaron Cook, who pitched eight innings, seven of them scoreless, but fell to 2-5 and is now 0-5 on the road.
Two of baseball’s deadly sins — an error and Cook’s lack of pitch command to a single batter — cost the Rockies dearly in the first inning.
“They always say that you can’t win a game in the first inning, but you sure can lose it,” Cook lamented.
Third baseman Ian Stewart scooped up Bobby Abreu’s chopper and threw to Jonathan Herrera at second, hoping to start a double play. But Stewart’s high shovel pass ended up in right field, and he was charged with an error.
“It was kind of a weird play for me,” Stewart said. “I just tried to flip the ball to (Herrera), but I think part of it was that I was closer than I thought I was and probably threw it a little too hard. But I think the sun got in his way a little bit.”
After the error, Torii Hunter loaded the bases with a weak base hit into shallow right.
Instead of buckling down, Cook fell behind 3-0 to Hideki Matsui. The veteran Matsui took full advantage, getting a green light on the next pitch and sending it into orbit beyond the center-field wall. The sixth grand slam of his career put the Rockies in a quick 4-0 hole.
After serving up the slam, Cook began mowing Angels down with his heavy sinker. He retired the next 17 batters before issuing a leadoff walk to Matsui in the seventh. Cook gave up just four hits and induced 17 groundball outs.
“It was unfortunate for Cookie because that was as good a game as he has pitched all year,” manager Jim Tracy said. “There is nothing you can say negative about the performance he gave us tonight.”
Tracy was impressed not only by the re-emergence of Cook’s sinker but by his command of a curveball that led to three strikeouts.
“He used the curveball just enough to let them know that he had it,” Tracy said.
Cook’s counterpart, Anaheim lefty Joe Saunders, was even more effective. The Rockies touched him for just two runs on four hits. He quietly struck out eight and was never in trouble. All told, the Rockies whiffed nine times.
The Rockies climbed out of their early hole and back into the game in the third and fourth innings. Clint Barmes led off the third with his fifth homer of the season, clubbing Saunders’ slider just inside the left-field foul poll. It was Barmes’ first homer since May 28.
In the fourth, Melvin Mora doubled and scored on Miguel Olivo’s single, slicing the Angels’ lead to 4-2. But that was the end of Colorado’s offense
The Angels’ Brian Fuentes, a former Rockies all-star, closed out the game in the ninth for his 13th save. He got an assist from second baseman Howie Kendrick. After Fuentes walked Mora with one out, Olivo hit a bullet that appeared to be headed to the right-center field gap. But Kendrick made a leaping catch and doubled up Mora at first for a game-ending double play.
The Rockies and Angels will settle their three-game series today.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Rockies at Angels, 1:35 p.m., FSN
The Rockies are watching right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (4-6, 3.56 ERA) grow up this summer. Sure, the 22-year-old stumbles from time to time, but he keeps getting up and moving forward. In his most recent outing against Boston, Chacin wriggled out of a base-loaded mess in the third inning, and then went on to hold the Red Sox to no runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. The Rockies are facing Angels right-hander Ervin Santana (7-5, 3.91) for just the second time. Jason Giambi has some history against Santana, but it isn’t good. Giambi is just 1-for-16 with a double and two RBIs. Santana was won six of his last eight starts. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Monday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (13-1, 1.60 ERA) at Padres’ Kevin Correia (5-5, 5.14), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Tuesday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-3, 4.31) at Padres’ Wade LeBlanc (4-5, 3.16), 8:05 p.m., FSN
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jeff Francis (2-2, 3.53) at Padres’ Clayton Richard (5-4, 2.75), 1:35 p.m., FSN
Thursday: Giants’ TBD at Rockies’ Aaron Cook (2-5, 4.69), 6:40 p.m., FSN
