Ubaldo falters, but Stewart and Giambi deliver big
- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
It was a roller coaster of a game, to be sure. In the first couple innings, Ubaldo was his normal self – mowing down opposing batters, and looking like a dominant force that is careening toward Cy Young glory. Even after giving up a couple runs, he didn’t appear fazed. Then, suddenly, Ubaldo showed something we haven’t seen all season: his humanity. Ubaldo’s first loss against the Dodgers really wasn’t his fault. He pitched a stellar game, only to be let down by his offense. It appeared we were on the same track last night, as the Rockies put up 5 quick runs on Lackey, only to go cold from the 5th inning on. They had exactly one baserunner in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th innings combined. The offense that seemed to be stepping up the pace suddenly disappeared, replaced by the soft grounders and numerous strikeouts and general inefficiency we’ve come to expect from this Rockies team thus far this season.
Then came the ninth inning. Jonathan Papelbon steps to the mound, facing the bottom end of a Rockies lineup that had become rather anemic. To be honest, the only thing that kept me from clicking off the TV was the remaining euphoria from the last minute goal scored by Landon Donovan in the morning’s USA World Cup soccer match against Algeria. Could the Rockies possibly put together a closing rally of their own, to cap off a sports day unlike any I have experienced in recent memory?
Ian Stewart, through many struggles this season, has remained optimistic that his swing will return, and return it did. In his first round-tripper at Coors Field this season, Stewart sent a fastball towering into the Colorado night sky, finally coming to rest on the second deck in right-center field, tying the game and guaranteeing at least an extra inning for the Rockies to try to take the interleague series. Improbable as one homerun against Papelbon seemed, we could hardly dare to dream for more heroics. Barmes singled on a soft hit, and was advanced by an almost accidental sacrifice bunt by Ryan Spilborghs. Ready to take his shot or go home trying, Jim Tracy sent Giambi to the plate, in a bold move that indicated he had no intention of playing extra innings. Giambi, with the runner on second, only needed a solid line drive to the outfield. Instead, he took a split finger fastball and launched it almost as far as Stewarts bomb minutes earlier, depositing it in the stands and leaving the crowd in a frenzy. While the ratio of Red Sox fans to Rockies fans might have been embarrassing for the home squad, the Rockies faithful got the last word in a raucous celebration that left the Red Sox Nation wondering what had just happened. They got to the Rockies ace, set him down earlier than any game this year, and then watched helplessly as their star closer got taken deep, not once, but twice, culminating in Giambi’s walk off shot.
I’m not ready to declare this the turnaround point of the Rockies season just yet, it’s an indication that this team really is as good as we thought it was. When summer comes, so do the Rockies bats. Also lost in the Giambi heroics was the quiet late innings return of Huston Street. Street was effective in his first appearance of the season, giving hope that the back end of the bullpen will finally get the consistency it needs. When De La Rosa returns in a couple weeks, the rotation will be back in shape, leaving Tulowitzki as the only major glaring injury blemish.
Tonight, the Rockies close the series out by sending the recently stellar Jason Hammel to the mound against the once sensational Japanese starter Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Angels loom next, so a series sweep against one of the beastly AL East teams would be a quite the confidence builder to take into the rest of this year’s interleague play and the homestretch into the All-Star Break.
