Rockies optimistic as Diamondbacks roll into Coors Field

By Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 14, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Rocktober 2007: Colorado Rockies Playoff Run

The Arizona Diamondbacks, trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, don’t view their task as daunting. The hard truth is with the next three games scheduled for Coors Field, the Diamondbacks must win two of them to avoid the onset of the offseason.

"We lost two at home," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "We didn’t want to do it. We didn’t want to come in here down 2-0. But all we’re focused on is tomorrow’s game. If we win tomorrow’s game, there’s another game the next day."

Melvin spoke before the Diamondbacks worked out at Coors Field, followed by the Rockies. Arizona worked out for close to two hours. The Rockies were on the field for just 40 minutes. They won the first two games 5-1 and 3-2 in 11 innings, victories that put the Rockies close to the World Series but did little to impress the Diamondbacks.

"I know we’re a good team," Diamondbacks left fielder Eric Byrnes said. "I also don’t think the Rockies have outplayed us, because they haven’t. They’ve had a little luck go their way. Definitely, the ball has bounced in their direction. They’ve been the beneficiary of some calls."

The Diamondbacks are relying heavily on starter Livan Hernandez, who in 10 postseason games, eight of them starts, is 6-2 with a 4.85 ERA, the latter figure bloated his experience in the World Series with the 2002 San Francisco Giants.

Regardless, "experience" is the operative word with the 32-year-old Hernandez, who draws on it in tight situations, where he is unflappable and almost unbeatable.

"He’s been a Houdini-type pitcher for the better part of the last four, five seasons," Melvin said. "I’ve seen it from the other side when he was in San Francisco. There’s going to be some baserunners out there. But he steps up when he needs to and makes a big pitch."

What the Diamondbacks desperately need to get back into the series is a big hit. They are 2-for-14 (.143) with runners in scoring position in this series and are 6-for-45 (.133) in the postseason.

"It’s probably against the grain as far as the numbers go," Melvin said. "We’ve obviously got enough hits in big situations to win 90 games over the season."

Melvin said he will stay with switch-hitting Tony Clark at first base in Game 3 of the NLCS — an easy decision since Conor Jackson, a right-handed hitter, is 0-for-7 in the postseason with runners in scoring position — and said he wasn’t sure whether Justin Upton or left-handed hitting Jeff Salazar would start in right field against right-hander Josh Fogg.

Fogg’s teammates call him the Dragon Slayer for his ability to beat big-name pitchers. And when Fogg showed up at his locker today, he found a very large picture hanging there, one that depicted Fogg and a lifeless dragon.

With Fogg on the mound, the Rockies will be trying to build on their startling run that has seen them win 19 of their past 20 games. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said the Rockies view Game 3 as the opportunity "to get one step closer to the World

Series," and then confessed there was a beauty to that phrase and wasn’t just uttered in matter-of-fact fashion.

Fogg said the Rockies have paid little attention to the specifics of their record run and don’t dwell on numbers like 19-1. "We’re on the learning curve together right now," Fogg said. And when asked whether that learning has gone pretty well, Fogg chuckled and said, "I would say it’s gone pretty well, better than any learning curve I’ve been on in my life."

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News