Rockies squeak by 3-2 over Arizona for 2-0 lead in NLCS

Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 13, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Local News

PHOENIX — Suddenly, the odds favor the Rockies.

The storybook season added another chapter this morning when Willy Taveras drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the deciding run in a 3-2, 11-inning victory against Arizona in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series at Chase Field.

The victory, which came at 12:45 a.m. Mountain time, gave the Rockies a two-games-to-none lead as they head to Coors Field for up to three games with a definite edge in the bid for the NL spot in the World Series.

Closer Manny Corpas, who had converted 19 of 20 regular-season saves and saved all three games in the NL Division Series sweep of Philadelphia, couldn’t close out the win Friday, but the Rockies got him off the hook.

Ryan Spilborghs led off the 11th with a single. With one out, Brad Hawpe walked, and with two out, Arizona closer Jose Valverde, who threw a season-high 42 pitches, walked Jamey Carroll and Taveras. It was the first earned run allowed by Arizona’s bullpen in 18 postseason innings.

Ryan Speier, who had never earned a big-league save, set the Diamondbacks down in order in the bottom of the 11th.

Corpas caused his own problems in the ninth, hitting Chris Young with a 1-2 pitch. After Young took third on Stephen Drew’s single, he came home with the tying run on an Eric Byrnes fielder’s choice.

The Rockies had two gambles pay off.

Center fielder Willy Taveras, back in the lineup for Game 1 on Thursday after missing the previous 24 games with a strained quadriceps, repaid manager Clint Hurdle’s confidence in activating him for the NLCS, and rookie right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez reinforced the organization’s wisdom to give him a shot instead of adding a worn-out veteran when needs arose in July.

Taveras manufactured the run that gave the Rockies a 2-1 lead in the fifth after drawing a leadoff walk from Doug Davis, and then made a game-saving play in the seventh, running full speed into right-center and making a sprawling grab of Tony Clark’s sinking line drive.

Jimenez worked five innings and allowed only one run. He has surrendered only three runs in his past 172/3 innings but doesn’t have a victory to show for it.

A team that had to win 14 of its final 15 regular-season games to get to the playoffs, and then swept Philadelphia in the NL Division Series, finds itself in a commanding position now.

By taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Rockies have become the ninth team since the LCS was expanded from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format to win the first two games on the road.

Each of the eight previous teams have advanced to the World Series. And only twice out of those eight times has the LCS extended past five games.

San Diego, in 1998, and Toronto, in 1993, both needed six games to wrap up its series. Detroit in 2006, Oakland in 1988 and 1991, and Atlanta in 1995 swept their series, and the Yankees in 2001 and Mets in 2000 needed only five games to earn World Series berths.

The two teams will work out at Coors Field today, and then square off in Game 3 on Sunday night in a battle of right-handed veterans — Josh Fogg for the Rockies and Livan Hernandez for Arizona.

Jimenez made a strong final statement, striking out Mark Reynolds on three pitches to end the fifth with the bases loaded. Jimenez also answered a challenge in the second when Clark led off with a double on a drive to straightaway center that Taveras appeared on the verge of catching after a long run, but the ball hit his glove and bounced out.

Jimenez then struck out Reynolds with a pitch sequence that underscored the velocity differential that makes him so tough, starting Reynolds off with a 73-mile-per-hour changeup and finishing him off with a 99 mph fastball. He also struck out Jeff Salazar, looking at a 98 mph 3-2 pitch, and after walking Chris Snyder, he overmatched Augie Ojeda on a strikeout.

Jimenez’s lapse came in the third. Davis led off with a double, and scored on Chris Young’s ensuing single, tying the score 1-1.

The Rockies got a gift in the second. Todd Helton led off the inning with a shot between the legs of third baseman Reynolds. After Davis struck out Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe and Yorvit Torrealba had back-to-back singles, which brought Helton around.

Taveras got the fifth inning started with his single and took second on a Kazuo Matsui single. When Matt Holliday flied to left, Taveras successfully challenged the erratic throwing of Eric Byrnes, who made the ill-advised throw to third, allowing Matsui to take second.

Helton then flied to left, Matsui again taking advantage of Byrnes throwing limitations to score easily.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News