Sometimes, no matter how compelling the evidence, no matter what the eyes are saying, no matter what the book suggests, a manager has to ask himself a simple question: Whom do you want to beat you?
In the ninth inning of a well-played game sprinkled with web gems, Braves boss Fredi Gonzalez faced this dilemma: Let left-hander Eric O’Flaherty face pinch-hitter Ty Wigginton or Carlos Gonzalez, the defending National League batting champion.
The Braves skipper chose CarGo, and the Braves received parting gifts in a 3-2 loss Wednesday, walked off by the left-fielder’s sharp single to right field.
“In that moment, I was telling myself not to do too much, to make good solid contact,” the Rockies’ Gonzalez said. “It’s not about personal numbers. We need wins.”
There were plenty of reasons not to pitch to Gonzalez. He has nine family members in Denver, who are riding on every swing. When they were in town last July, he mounted an MVP campaign highlighted by a walkoff home run against the Cubs to complete the cycle.
Beyond the emotional, there were also glaring stats. Yes, left-handers were 10-for-58 against O’Flaherty before Gonzalez stepped into the box. And sure, Wigginton was 2-for-3 off O’Flaherty. But that didn’t take into account all the equation’s variables. Wigginton is 4-for-41 with runners in scoring position and two outs this season.
CarGo? He’s now 13-for-30 with three home runs and 18 RBIs.
“It was a great at-bat in a big situation,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “But I can’t say I was surprised. He’s done it so many times.”
For Gonzalez, the win was deep-rooted. The only thing he loves more than playing the game is playing it front of those close to him.
“This is like Disney World for them, getting to come here,” Gonzalez said. “I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to play because of my wrist. They already had their plane tickets, so you can say they helped me get back out there faster.”
Gonzalez was in position to bathe in the spotlight because of Juan Nicasio’s performance, stellar Rockies defense and a whisk of fortune.
Nicasio has allowed one run in his last 22 innings at Coors Field, using a late-moving fastball and a more consistent slider to muzzle the Braves. He avoided trouble in the sixth when, in order, Ian Stewart erased Martin Prado at home, Mark Ellis made a diving grab and Tulowitzki bare-handed a deflection and fired to first base.
“It was unbelievable,” Nicasio said.
After Matt Lindstrom squandered the lead in the eighth on two pitches — a stolen base and a single — Huston Street caught a break. Pinch-hitter Brian McCann rocketed a fastball toward the Braves’ bullpen. Off the bat, it appeared to be a home run, but Dexter Fowler, an Atlanta native, snared it at the fence.
After killing the Braves’ rally, Fowler started his own, reaching second on a groundball mishandled by Prado. Fowler was still standing there when Gonzalez swatted O’Flaherty’s first-pitch fastball onto right-field grass.
“The game was telling us after Dexter’s catch that we had another opportunity,” Gonzalez said. “These are moments we have to take advantage of.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
THURSDAY: Braves at Rockies, 1:10 p.m., Root
Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (8-7, 3.37 ERA) made one mistake at the worst possible time in a July 5 loss to the Braves, surrendering a three-run double to Derek Lowe. Consider it a snapshot of the last month, because Chacin hasn’t won since June 15. The key remains fastball command. When he has it, everything falls into place. Tommy Hanson (10-5, 2.73) was the best pitcher not to make the All-Star Game. He should have gone ahead of one of the three Giants. Hanson uses a funky pause, an almost short-arm delivery that creates endless problems for hitters. Opponents are hitting just .198 off the right-hander.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
Upcoming pitching matchups
Friday: Rockies’ Aaron Cook (0-5, 5.82 ERA) at Diamondbacks’ Daniel Hudson (10-5, 3.56), 7:40 p.m., Root
Saturday: Rockies’ Jason Hammel (5-9, 4.36) at Diamondbacks’ Josh Collmenter (5-5, 2.65), 6:10 p.m., Root
Sunday: Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (6-8, 4.00) at Diamondbacks’ Barry Enright (1-4, 7.41), 2:10 p.m., Root
Monday: Rockies’ Juan Nicasio (4-2, 3.88) at Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (11-4, 2.72), 8:10 p.m., Root
