Prior to spring training, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki uttered a phrase that bordered on hyperbole. He told a few friends that Carlos Gonzalez was his most talented teammate. Not this season. Ever.
It wasn’t meant to be disrespectful, just an observation of how easy Gonzalez makes the game appear.
“He’s making me look really smart right now, huh?” Tulowitzki said Tuesday.
Five months later, after upper-deck home runs, broken-bat triples, savvy stolen bases and laser throws, Gonzalez has become better than even imagined. The surging National League MVP candidate waved his magic wand again against the Reds, his three-run homer the critical moment in the Rockies’ 4-3 win at Coors Field.
Every win is measured in two categories at this point: The Rockies’ distance to cover in the playoff race and Gonzalez’s pursuit of the NL Triple Crown. With the victory — the 17th in their last 20 games against Cincinnati in Denver — the Rockies sit 4 1/2 games behind both the division-leading Padres and the wild-card-leading Braves.
As CarGoes, so go the Rockies. He rapped his three-run homer in the first inning, volleying a 95-mph Johnny Cueto fastball over the left-field fence. Colorado never trailed, finishing off the Reds with Miguel Olivo’s sixth-inning RBI double.
Looking through the prism of Gonzalez’s numbers, it’s hard to believe the Rockies have lost at all over the past 15 games. He has a hit in every one, batting .525 (31-for-59) with seven home runs and 21 RBIs.
“We are getting what we want, traffic on the bases in front of CarGo and Tulo,” said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. “He’s been special.”
With 24 games remaining, Gonzalez leads the league in batting average (.340) and RBIs (100, two in front of Reds star Joey Votto) and is tied for third with 32 home runs, three shy of Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols.
In this series, Gonzalez has been the Xbox to Votto’s Atari.
“All you heard for Triple Crown was ‘Votto and Pujols.’ Now CarGo has a realistic shot,” Tulowitzki said. “He’s not going to talk about it, but I will. It’s unbelievable to even think about it this late in the year.”
That the Rockies are hanging on for a postseason berth can be explained with another statistic. Since Aug. 23, they have won eight straight games against first-place teams: Atlanta, San Diego and Cincinnati.
Though not breathtaking like Gonzalez, fellow Venezuelan Jhoulys Chacin was a compelling story Tuesday. He outpitched Cueto, surrendering just two runs in six innings. He continued to show maturity, extracting himself from a first-and-third mess in the top of the fifth inning. He protected the one-run cushion by inducing a groundball to Tulowitzki.
“I didn’t panic. I just focused on making my pitch,” Chacin said.
As Huston Street converted his 16th save, rowdies in left field chanted “M-V-P!” for Gonzalez. The last time that happened was for Matt Holliday in 2007, when the Rockies made a magical push to the playoffs.
“The fans gave me goose bumps,” Gonzalez said. “But I am not thinking about awards. I just want to keep helping the team win and everything else will work out.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY: Reds at Rockies, 6:40 p.m., FSN
With alarms blaring and knuckles whitening, the Rockies’ Aaron Cook (5-8, 5.21 ERA) came through with a season-saving win last Friday in San Diego. Cook had sharper mechanics after a month-long absence (foot injury). The challenge tonight is reversing an ugly trend in LoDo, where Cook lasted just 5 1/3 innings and allowed 10 earned runs in his last two home starts. Cook combined to shut out the Reds in July. Bronson Arroyo (14-9, 3.84) continues to change eye levels and arm angles. He eats innings like Pac-Man does dots. Todd Helton sees the ball well against the right-hander (7-for-17). Troy E. Renck, The Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Thursday: Reds’ Travis Wood (5-2, 3.19 ERA) at Rockies’ Jason Hammel (10-7, 4.25), 1:10 p.m., MLB
Friday: Diamondbacks’ Joe Saunders (8-14, 4.56) at Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa (6-4, 4.18), 7:10 p.m., FSN
Saturday: Diamondbacks’ Rodrigo Lopez (5-13, 5.21) at Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (18-6, 2.79), 6:10 p.m., FSN
Sunday: Diamondbacks’ Ian Kennedy (9-9, 4.01) at Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (8-9, 3.65), 1:10 p.m., FSN
