Rockies take hot bats on road after win streak snapped

By Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky

Published July 6, 2008 at 4:07 p.m.

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Photo by David Zalubowski / Associated Press

Rockies starting pitcher Aaron Cook, who was named to the National League All-Star team earlier in the day, delivers to the Marlins' Jeremy Hermida in the first inning of Sunday's game.

It was a discouraging end to an encouraging homestand.

Yet, whatever momentum the Rockies gained from a season- best five-game winning streak, which came to a skidding halt Sunday, will not mean a thing if the club does not begin establishing that same type of momentum away from Coors Field.

The Florida Marlins avoided a four-game sweep and ended the Rockies' winning ways with a 10-5 victory Sunday, battering right-hander Aaron Cook on the day he was named to the All-Star team for the first time.

The Rockies completed the homestand with a 5-2 mark and will look to continue that momentum on the road when they close their pre-All-Star Game slate with a seven-game trip that begins tonight in Milwaukee.

"It's a matter of getting our swings right, and a lot of guys did that this homestand," third baseman Garrett Atkins said. "Hopefully, we will continue the hot hitting on the road trip. I think it's just about getting back to hitting line drives. We did that this homestand and it plays even more of an effect on the road - hitting line drives and using the whole field.

"Those are probably things we haven't done real well on the road, but at home we seem to do pretty good. It's a matter of having that same approach and taking it on the road."

In the Bizarro-World that is the National League West Division, the Rockies' overall mark of 37-52 still is good enough to keep the team only seven games behind first-place Arizona going into the four-game series against the Brewers.

The Rockies, though, will find it impossible to repeat last season's improbable surge into the postseason unless they improve on their 12-31 mark away from home, the worst road record in the majors.

The Rockies endured a 13-game road losing streak from May 10 through June 2 but showed glimpses of turning things around by winning consecutive road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

The team's most recent trip, though, ended with an 0-6 mark that nullified the successful homestand the Rockies completed Sunday. With 17 of their next 24 games on the road through the first weekend of August, a similar performance this week before the All-Star break would likely end any hope of another maniacal second-half surge.

"I thought we played pretty well at home," infielder Clint Barmes said. "Hopefully, we can start building from this and keep it going. It's definitely a blessing we're where we are at in the standings. With our record and being less than 10 away, it's very fortunate. It's all about winning the division at this point and getting hot at the right time. You never know what can happen."

Cook (11-6) was denied in his bid to become the first Rockies pitcher to win 12 games before the All-Star break, laboring through 71/3 innings after recording a 79-pitch shutout in his previous start, Tuesday against San Diego.

Cook surrendered 11 hits and seven earned runs, settling down for a stretch during the middle innings to protect a bullpen that had been taxed by an 11-inning marathon and two consecutive slugfests in the previous three games against Florida.

The Rockies twice rallied from early deficits, taking a 4-3 lead in the fourth on an RBI double by Cook and a two-run single by Ryan Spilborghs. But the Marlins' Cody Ross, who finished with five RBI in the game and 15 in the series, put Florida ahead with a two-run single in the sixth.

Ross finally chased Cook in the eighth, blasting his 110th and final pitch over the left-field fence for a two-run home run that gave Florida a 7-4 lead. The Marlins added three insurance runs off Luis Vizcaino and Cedrick Bowers in the ninth.

"I think (Cook) struggled with the consistency of his fastball command," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "Early on the fastball was more up. Then he got some nice rhythms in the fourth and fifth innings - good sink, good movement.

"The sixth inning, he got clipped again with a couple fastballs up. The seventh inning was one of his cleanest, most crisp. Then back to some balls up in the zone in the eighth. Unfortunately, it was a mixed bag for him as far as fastball consistency."

• July 6, 2008

  6:44 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wiscbum writes:

  Bowers and Vizcaino have to go. Hirsh and Wells are about ready to go... and I would even give Morales a chance before I would ever put Bowers in. Vizcaino is too much $$ for what little he has provided.

  Scary thing is, so far below .500, they are still in contention. Someone needs to step it up in the clubhouse.... Holiday, Cook, Atkins, Helton... someone has to meet with the team and fire them up and get them going.

  Go ROCKIES!

• July 6, 2008

  7:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  SDcat writes:

  I cannot understand the negativity. We showed some decent offense. Not just hitting the long ball, but not leaving as many stranded during most of these 4 games. Today, we again left some people stranded, and Cook had an off game. Strategically, we could have intentionally passed Cody Ross a couople of times. I've seen a lot of progress since our whipping by the Padres at the start of this home stand. So long as our starting pitching can go more than 6 innings effectively, we can make gains in our division.

• July 6, 2008

  8:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wiscbum writes:

  Negativity? I'm being optimistic.. Vizcaino and Bowers are horrendous... ERA's are over 8! Geez, I can do that every weekend when I pitch slow pitch softball.

  I agree, Cookie had an off game... but someone needs to let them know that it is NOT good we lose games like this. I really think they should trade Herges too.... he's clean and now suddenly can't pitch. Enuff said.

• July 6, 2008

  10:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dgarci1 writes:

  I was at the game tonight, sitting up in the second level out in right field. Somewhere around the 6th-7th inning one of the Marlins hit a line drive about 4-5 rows up into the seats along the 1st base line between the bag and the outfield. I watched the ball cruise-missile into the fans sitting in that area and heard the most aweful sound but didn't really think anything about it. Next thing I know I saw a man rushing a small child all the way up the steps followed by a woman and another older child. The man was carrying what looked like a limp-bodied child. Does anyone know what happened or if that kid was alright? It sure looked and sounded bad. Hope the kid is alright. I didn't hear any screaming but the sound of what may of been that liner hitting someone in the head. All I could think about the rest of the game was if that child was alright. I'm sure people get hit all the time but this was a small child.

• July 6, 2008

  11:08 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dgarci1 writes:

  Look, as long as the Rockies are led by Hurdle and that Appodaca guy, we are not going to contend. As much as I wanted to believe that last year was not a fluke I'm not sure I can say it wasn't. No doubt we have awesome talent. I think last year was proof of our young talent that somehow rode a big wave of testosterone into the playoffs. But here we are again, as we have been year after year, underachieving. How the hell does a losing manager get an extension on his contract? Winning clubs would have booted Hurdle a long time ago. If we let Holliday go or Fuentes, then we know that the team does not intend to try and win next year. We'll know that they are trying to save money since we didn't make the playoffs this year. And can someone tell me why Holliday isn't batting 4th? Someone needs to take Hurdle's decision making power away from him.

• July 7, 2008

  10:48 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  SDcat writes:

  Wiscbum, sorry, I actually meant the tone of the article. I agree about Vizcaino. Jury is still out on Bowers. He's only up from AAA for a week now. I say lets give him another couple of situations before making that judgment. Vizcaino has had plenty of time to prove or disprove, as the case may be, his status.

  dgarc1, ITA with your comments re Holliday,still undecided about Fuentes,too inconsistent. I wonder why we haven't made Buchholz the closer yet? He's the only one in the bullpen consistent. He's given up only 1 HR in 41 innings this year but that was an anomoly. His home and away performances are consistent as well. I don't get it. Buchholz stats for this year

  G GS W L SV CG SHO IP H R ER HR BB K ERA
  37 0 3 2 1 0 0 41.2 23 10 8 1 10 31 1.73

  Despite all of this, we are still only 7 games out of 1st...(scratching head)..Go NL WEST, Go Rox!

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