SAN DIEGO — Huston Street could live forever in 2009. He was Dennis Eckersley Lite, converting 35 saves, including 26 straight at one point. Over the last few weeks, he watched video of that season closely, dissecting his fastball as a finishing pitch. A two-strike, swing- and-miss heater has been absent much of the past two seasons.
Street made a case again Wednesday that it’s back. With his velocity reaching 92 mph, the right-hander breezed to his 17th save by striking out Jason Bartlett.
“I went back and looked at my fastball, and how I used it. It’s hard to describe because I didn’t make a mechanical adjustment,” Street said. “I just have that feel back. It’s funny, you do it once, then you repeat it and wonder why you haven’t been doing it that way all along.”
With Street using a slightly quicker and more powerful delivery, manager Jim Tracy said the closer’s fastball is sinking more with late life. It has also created sharper bite on his slider, a pitch that has given him trouble at times this season.
Shift-a-roo.
Clayton Mortensen, who posted six scoreless innings in his last start, was shifted to the bullpen to make room for promising rookie Juan Nicasio in the rotation. Nicasio will start today against the Dodgers, Mortensen became a long reliever and Greg Reynolds was optioned to Triple-A to resume starting every five days, clearing a roster spot for Aaron Cook.
“My mentality changes immediately. I am looking forward to this opportunity,” Mortensen said.
Footnotes.
The Rockies picked off Eric Patterson at second base, running the daylight play twice in the same at-bat. “It’s funny because they know we will do it, but it still works,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. . . . Cook is 14-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 26 games against the Padres. . . . Helton’s three runs were his most since June 24 of last season. . . . Seth Smith has hit safely in 18 of 22 games, batting .338 (27-for-80) during that stretch.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
