SAN FRANCISCO — Marco Scutaro has a theory that helps him keep his sanity.
“Once the ball leaves the bat, you have no control, so there’s no sense in worrying about it,” Scutaro said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
The Rockies second baseman has hit into more hard outs than any Colorado player this season. He finally found a way to eliminate the glove in the equation, launching his first home run as a Rockie, the decisive shot in Colorado’s 5-4 victory over the Giants on Tuesday night at AT&T Park.
“Maybe this will finally get us going,” Scutaro said.
Scutaro, as late-inning replacement, rocketed closer Santiago Casilla’s fastball just over the left-field fence, providing a swirl of mouthwash to a bitter 2-6 road trip.
Turning point. After walking the bases loaded, Rex Brothers delivered his biggest pitch of the season. The inconsistent left-hander fanned Melky Cabrera to end the eighth, pumping his fist. Cabrera didn’t appreciate the reaction, but Brothers had every right to show emotion given the moment and how desperate the Rockies for anything to go right.
“It got to that point where I said, ‘This is not happening again,’^” Brothers admitted. “It took me that long to wake up. Since my first outing, nothing has been easy this season.”
On the mound. Jeremy Guthrie had no way of knowing it would happen, but when his chain popped on his bike, the Rockies’ rotation went over the handlebars. In Guthrie’s absence since April 28, Colorado dropped 12 of 15 games and watched as the bullpen nearly matched the starters in innings.
He made a gutsy return from his shoulder injury Tuesday, not allowing an earned run in five-plus innings.
Manager Jim Tracy had a measured tone afterward, clearly irritated by the 10 walks, the most the Giants’ have worked since Aug. 9, 2010.
“This took some character. We worked for it. But there’s a a much better way to go about it,” Tracy said. “We can’t continue down this path.”
At the plate. Michael Cuddyer flied out with the bases loaded Monday night, and admitted, “I hit it well, but I knew it had no chance at this park at night.” Cuddyer tried something completely different Tuesday, changing the complexion of the game with one swing in the sixth.
With runners on the corners, set up that way to turn the Rockies outfielder into a double-play victim, Cuddyer smoked a groundball down the third-base line for a run-scoring double off Giants ace Tim Lincecum. Suddenly, the “here we go again” dread was replaced by hope.
Jordan Pacheco, who could be optioned today if Eric Young Jr. is activated, pushed home a run with a sacrifice fly, but earned the manager’s wrath after not running on contact on Tyler Colvin’s fifth-inning pop-up. It dropped on the infield grass, but because Pacheco was watching the ball rather than sprinting he was unable to score from second base.
“It was a terrible base-running error. He was talked to and I don’t think you will see it happen again,” Tracy said.
What it means. That the Rockies are capable of competing and showing fight. But if this road trip taught them anything, it’s that they can’t win without playing a nearly flawless game.
