Rockies no pushovers: Last in NL West is best recently

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Wednesday, September 7, 2005 6:48 AM PDT ∞

Padres' Chan Ho Park throws a strike in the fifth inning during action against Colorado at Petco Park
Robert Benson/For the North County Times
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SAN DIEGO ---- Wrap your mind around this crazy concept: If the season had started on June 1, the Padres would be peering up at the Colorado Rockies, who would be pushing for a playoff berth.

That tells you all you need to know about the sorry state of the National League West, baseball's worst division. But it also offers some insight into the scrappiness of the Rockies, a youthful club that is doing its best to alter the postseason picture.

Remaining unbeaten since the calendar flipped to September, Colorado raced to three two-out runs off Padres starter Chan Ho Park in the first inning and held on for a 6-5 victory Tuesday night before 26,483 at Petco Park. By winning for the third time in their last four games in San Diego, the last-place Rockies improved to 41-46 since the end of May, five games better than the Padres in that span.

"They're a pretty good ballclub," said second baseman Mark Loretta, who had four of the Padres' 11 hits. "We're not taking them for granted, that's for sure."

Said Colorado manager Clint Hurdle: "We're playing better, we're making improvements. There's a lot of pride in that clubhouse."

And in the Padres, as evidenced by their furious rally from a 6-0 seventh-inning deficit that fell agonizingly short. They scored four runs off three pitchers in the bottom of the seventh, then watched a potential game-tying homer by Khalil Greene in the eighth die on the warning track for a sacrifice fly.

The Padres threatened again in the ninth, as Loretta led off with a single and was bunted into scoring position by Ben Johnson. But Rockies closer Brian Fuentes sandwiched walks to pinch hitter Xavier Nady and Joe Randa between strikeouts of Brian Giles and Greene, with Greene looking at a fastball down the middle to leave the bases loaded.

"We fought hard to get back in it," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "But the bottom line is, we didn't play well."

Topping the list was catcher Miguel Olivo, whose 0-for-4 night to snap a career-best 10-game hitting streak was the least of his problems. With Colorado ahead 4-0 in the seventh and Cory Sullivan on first base with a leadoff walk, Olivo unleashed a snap throw to try to pick Sullivan off, only to have the ball skip past Robert Fick for a two-base error. After Todd Helton walked, Sullivan came home on Matt Holliday's sacrifice fly. Helton advanced to second on the play, then scored when Olivo gathered in left fielder Ryan Klesko's off-line throw and ---- instead of giving the ball back to reliever Chris Oxspring ---- absent-mindedly flipped it toward the Padres' dugout for another two-base error.

Olivo was unavailable for comment after the game, but Bochy said the catcher mistakenly thought the play was dead.

"I don't know why he did it," Bochy said. "I think we were as surprised as anybody."

Following six shutout innings by Rockies right-hander Aaron Cook (4-1), however, the Padres finally generated some offense. They loaded the bases with one out on a Randa single, a Greene grounder that third baseman Garrett Atkins booted, and a walk to pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney. Singles by Dave Roberts and Loretta drove in all three runners and chased Cook.

Johnson's fielder's choice brought home Roberts to narrow the gap to 6-4, and Giles' single off former Padre Randy Williams brought the winning run to the plate. But new pitcher David Cortes struck out pinch hitter Eric Young.

Colorado scored all four of its runs off Park (4-2) with two outs. Park quickly retired the first two hitters in the first inning before Helton sliced a double down the left-field line. Holliday and Brad Hawpe walked, then Atkins hit a blooper to short center field than landed beyond the reach of Greene and Loretta for a 2-0 lead.

"It was tough," said Park, who threw 35 pitches in the inning. "My fastball command wasn't good. I'm supposed to be more aggressive."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.