Oh, baby: Homecoming satisfying for Cook

By Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 25, 2008 at 8:13 p.m.

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Photo by Al Behrman © Associated Press

Aaron Cook, who allowed only five hits in eight innings Friday night to earn his 13th victory, retires Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. on a pop-up.

The timing couldn't have been better for Aaron Cook. He took his regular turn Friday for the Rockies one day after his wife, Holly, gave birth here to a son.

Pitching with his usual efficiency, Cook smothered the Cincinnati Reds for eight innings. Meanwhile, the Rockies knocked Reds ace Edinson Volquez out of the game early as they began a crucial 10-game trip with a 7-2 victory.

Cook, who is from Hamilton, Ohio, which is about 30 miles northwest of Cincinnati, flew here Wednesday. Colton Jeremiah Cook, who weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long, was born in a Cincinnati hospital at 1:33 p.m., which gave Cook the opportunity to rest for a start in which he got 13 groundball outs and made a memorable fielding play.

"I was very fortunate that we had the baby at 1:30," Cook said. "So (Thursday) night, my wife told me to go to the hotel and get some rest. So I took my oldest son, Elijah (who is 4), with me and was able to get about nine or 10 hours of sleep. That was huge."

So was the Rockies offense, which banged out 15 hits, eight for extra bases, giving them at least 11 hits in each of the past six games. Seven of the hits came against Volquez, who entered the game 12-3 and with a National League-leading 2.49 ERA but toiled for 99 pitches while lasting four innings in his second-shortest outing this season.

Willy Taveras, who had three hits, reached base four times and stole three bases. He led off the game with a four-pitch walk and stole second. Matt Holliday singled with one out, beating first baseman Joey Votto to the bag after Votto fielded Holliday's hard smash, and Garrett Atkins followed with a two-run double.

Volquez had not allowed more than one home run in a game but yielded two in a three-batter sequence in the third. Jeff Baker walloped a high 1-2 fastball into the left-field stands with one out. And after Holliday singled, Brad Hawpe, who has had at least two hits in four straight games and five of his past six, homered to the opposite field off Volquez.

"This kid can be electric," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "We made him work a little bit. We laid off some balls. He's got that live fastball; we had some swings and misses and chased some sliders. But some balls that he left over the plate and elevated, we were able to square up."

The Reds had no such luck with Cook, who only faced six batters with a runner on second or third base while allowing four singles, in addition to a triple to Ken Griffey Jr. He gave up a run in the second on Edwin Encarnacion's

broken-bat single with one out but then got Votto to ground out and retired Paul Bako on a nubber in front of the plate that catcher Chris Iannetta pounced on.

Cook has shown the ability all season to field his position, typically while on the mound. But in the eighth, with the Rockies infield shifted on the left-handed Griffey, Cook dashed to catch Griffey's pop-up just fair in front of third base.

"I knew they were shifting," Cook said, "so somebody had to get over and try and make the catch."

Third baseman Ian Stewart said he couldn't have gotten the ball, but he did make a dazzling play on another. In the third, Stewart ranged far to his left to spear a ball hit by Jeff Keppinger, hit the ground and spun and made a perfect throw to first while sitting on his backside.

"You don't like to throw comparisons around," Hurdle said, "but he makes plays like (Graig) Nettles used to make at third base as far as the reverse spin, throwing from his pants. There's not many guys that make that play, and Nettles made it a lot."

Cook said that when Holly was about six months pregnant, doctors said 10 days before her due date they could induce labor.

"We found out that (Thursday) was 10 days early and we had an off day and then we were playing in Cincinnati," Cook said. "So it kind of just worked out perfect."

He ended up with his 13th victory this year. The Rockies, who had lost 11 of their past 13 road games, improved to 8-1 after the All-Star break.

And Cook came away with a couple of keepsakes for Colton Jeremiah, items he'll one day learn signify his entry into the world.

"I got the game ball and the lineup card," Cook said, "so we'll probably end up putting it in the baby's room."

• July 25, 2008

  10:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  fastnloose writes:

  Unless a good starting pitcher falls out of the sky(like that would happen)stay pat.Show confidence on what you put on the field and go for it.Helton at this stage,you are the first left handed pinch hitter off the bench.

• July 26, 2008

  12:17 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  1somelikeithot writes:

  Willy did very well in this game. Key word "this". Hope he can keep this up. Great win. Congratulations to the Cook's, and wasn't it great that it was an off day for the delivery of their baby boy. What a nice homecoming for him. Worked out pretty well all the way around. Go Rockies.

• July 26, 2008

  7:34 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  fjv1026 writes:

  Let's keep it up. Go Rockies!

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