Rockies' Cook grinds out 10th win

Right-hander is one short of team mark by the break

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 15, 2008 at 3:04 p.m.

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Photo by Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, left, celebrates with Brad Hawpe after they defeated the Chicago White Sox 5-3 in an interleague game Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

The Key . . .

* Moment: Third baseman Garrett Atkins barehanded Orlando Cabrera's well-placed bunt in the ninth inning and threw out Cabrera at first for the first out, which moved Juan Uribe to second. The play became even bigger when, after A.J. Pierzynski grounded out, Brian Fuentes walked Jermaine Dye and Jim

Thome. That loaded the bases for Joe Crede, who popped up to left. Matt Holliday wound up catching the ball with his bare hand as he avoided a collision with shortstop Omar Quintanilla.

* Player: Brad Hawpe unloaded a go-ahead home run with two out in the sixth, only the fourth home run White Sox starter Jose Contreras has allowed in 94 innings this season, the second since April 27. Five of Hawpe's seven home runs have given the Rockies a lead or tied the score. He leads the team in go-ahead RBI, with eight.

* Stat: 11 saves for left-hander

Fuentes in 12 opportunities since returning to the closer role. He is unscored on in 16 of 19 appearances since replacing Manuel Corpas as the closer, allowing four runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 17 in 17 2/3 innings.

Photo by Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press

Willy Taveras steals second base, beating the tag of White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera in the first inning Sunday in Chicago.

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There are games where Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook simply dominates with his sinking fastball.

And then there are games where he has to battle, looking for a way to survive.

This year, Cook is winning those battles, more often than not, which is why he is well on his way to a season unlike any pitcher in Rockies history.

Sunday was a battle that Cook and the Rockies won, 5-3 against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

"For somebody to get 20 wins is not a hot knife through butter every night," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's about being able to shut the door and not letting an inning get away from you."

Cook is only halfway to 20 wins, but there's more than half the season remaining, and he already has a career-best 10 wins. He is one win short of the record for a Rockies pitcher before the All- Star break, set by Shawn Chacon in 2003. Cook also is in good position for a first-time All-Star selection, particularly with Hurdle managing the All-Star team.

And, more important, with the rest of the rotation starting to get in line with Cook, the Rockies return to Coors Field to start a seven-game homestand tonight by hosting Atlanta in a makeup game after winning eight of 11. They have taken two of three in four consecutive series, including two on the road.

They are 13 games below .500 but are somehow only 8 1/2 games behind National League West- leading Arizona.

"We put ourselves in a dark hole," Hurdle said. "We know we can't rely on a finish like last year every time. Incrementally, we have to get better each step of the way. We just have to work at it to get the job done."

Cook has allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of 15 starts, working at least six innings in 14, and the Rockies have lost only four times when he has taken the mound.

"You have to be able to grind," Hurdle said.

And Cook was grinding Sunday. The sinker that he relies on helped him early - only two of the first 13 outs were on flyballs to the outfield - but it disappeared midgame.

He had to mix and match his way through the final five outs, including a challenging fifth inning in which Jermaine Dye hit a tying, two-run home run. Cook escaped more damage in the inning when Nick Swisher flied to left field and Matt Holliday was able to double Jim Thome off second base.

"It's a little bit maturing," Cook said about getting through situations like Sunday instead of reverting to the panic of days gone by. "It's a matter of not overtrying. It's trying to make a little bit better pitch to the next hitter and letting the defense help me out."

Cook has had his eye-popping moments when the sinker is in sync.

He has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 15 starts, including a 4-1 victory against the Mets on May 25 in the Rockies' only complete game this season. And he has had the challenging days like Sunday, when he retired 11 of the first 13 batters he faced, then saw 10 of the final 16 reach base.

He gave up 10 hits. But he was able to escape the jams, unlike against the Cubs on May 30, when he came away with a no-decision despite a 9-1, sixth-inning lead.

The fourth inning ended with a run in and the bases loaded on a Juan Uribe line drive to right. The fifth ended on Swisher's double- play flyball and the sixth ended with runners on first and third when A.J. Pierzynski popped up.

"The guys picked me up," Cook said.

The Rockies offense didn't break loose, but it came through at key moments. Consecutive singles by Willy Taveras, Scott Podsednik and Holliday, combined with the speed of Taveras and Podsednik, allowed the Rockies to get two runs in the first.

Podsednik singled in another run in the fifth. Then came the power - Brad Hawpe had the go- ahead home run in the sixth, and in the ninth, Chris Iannetta added his seventh home run this season.

And the defense dazzled for Cook and the bullpen. Omar Quintanilla made a run-saving play on an Orlando Cabrera groundball between third and second that gave Cook the opportunity to get Pierzynski out without giving up a run in the sixth.

Garrett Atkins made a barehanded pickup on a Cabrera attempt to bunt for a single in the ninth. Then, after Brian Fuentes walked Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome to loaded the bases with two out in the ninth, there was a game-ending catch by Holliday, who eluded a possible collision with Quintanilla and made a barehanded grab of Joe Crede's pop- up to left.

"It's like Fantasy Camp," Hurdle said. "No catch is a bad catch."

NUMBERS GAME

5stolen bases Saturday for Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras, but he didn't score a run. It's the first time a player had at least five steals in a game without scoring a run since at least 1956, the earliest year that data is available in the Baseball-Reference.com play index.

QUICK TRIP

Catcher Edwin Bellorin joined the Rockies for two games and infielder Jonathan Herrera was sent down to make room for Bellorin. Bellorin was called up because the Rockies needed a second catcher behind Chris Iannetta while Yorvit Torrealba sits out a two- game suspension for his episode with Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. Torrealba began the suspension Sunday and will finish it tonight.

Manager Clint Hurdle said Bellorin is expected to be sent down and an infielder called up Tuesday, although that figures to be temporary, too. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is expected to be activated from the disabled list Friday.

HE'S BACK

Taveras appears to have run his way back onto the top of the Rockies lineup. He returned to the leadoff spot and center field in the three games at U.S. Cellular Field and played his way back into the team's game plan. He was 4-for-11 with two runs scored, an RBI, a walk, a sacrifice bunt and six stolen bases, including the five Saturday night.

"All I ever wanted Willy to do was play his game," Hurdle said. "Nobody puts a guy on the bench when he is hot. He showed up big-time this weekend."

ETC.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who has been at high Single-A Modesto since Wednesday, will be examined at Coors Field today with the idea that he and second baseman Clint Barmes will go to Triple-A Colorado Springs on rehabilitation assignments this week. Whether Barmes returns Friday or spends a couple of more days with the Sky Sox remains to be determined. Tulowitzki was 3- for-5 and had 11 assists at shortstop Saturday. He went 1-for-2 Sunday with four walks for the Nuts and is 4-for-11 in five games. Barmes, meanwhile, has been working out with the Rockies at U.S. Cellular Field this weekend. . . . Right-hander Taylor Buchholz and Fuentes have pitched in all three of the Rockies' shutouts this season, which all have come in the first two weeks of June.

Fuentes is 1-0 with two saves in the shutouts. . . . The Rockies pitching staff has a 3.32 ERA in June, second lowest in the National League behind Philadelphia. . . . The Rockies never had won a game without an RBI until Wednesday against the Giants. They now have done it twice in the past five days. They scored both runs Saturday without an RBI, giving them an all-time record of 2-136 without an RBI. . . . Willy Taveras stole his NL-leading 30th base Sunday. He has 12 thefts of third base this season after stealing third only once last year. . . . White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko was scratched Sunday because of a strained muscle in his left side and most likely will be placed on the disabled list.

SCOUTING REPORT: Atlanta Braves

* Series history: The Rockies trail 49-82, including 29-42 in Denver, and 28-30 at Coors Field. The Rockies swept a three-game series in April. The fourth game was postponed and is being made up tonight as the Braves make a stopover between series at Anaheim and Texas.

* Roster report: Right-hander Rafael Soriano (right elbow inflammation) and left-hander Tom Glavine (left elbow strain) were placed on the disabled list this week and outfielder Josh Anderson was sent to Triple-A, opening roster spots for the promotion of right-hander Charlie Morton, left- hander Jeff Ridgway and outfielder Brandon Jones. Other Braves on the disabled list are right-handers John Smoltz (right shoulder surgery), Anthony Lerew (reconstructive right elbow surgery) and Pete Moylan (reconstructive left elbow surgery); left-handers Mike Hampton (strained pectoral muscle) and Mike Gonzalez (reconstructive left elbow surgery), infielder Martin Prado (sprained left thumb) and outfielders Mark Kostay (lower back strain) and Matt Diaz (strained left knee).

* Quickly: The Braves are 9-25 on road after a 2-0 loss to the Angels on Sunday, the worst record in majors, including 0-14 in games decided by one run. They have lost 21 one-run games on the road dating to last year, tying a major league record set by Kansas City from 2000-01. . . . Former Ponderosa High School left- hander Will Ohman has allowed one unearned run in his past nine appearances.

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