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Cook, Hawpe lead Rockies past Astros

Apr 20, 2008 - 3:40 AM By Jeremy Rakes PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

HOUSTON (Ticker) - Aaron Cook went seven strong innings and Brad Hawpe drove in the go-ahead run to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 3-2 victory over Houston Astros on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.

Cook (2-1) yielded just two runs - one earned - and four hits with four strikeouts and one walk to improve to 4-0 in eight career appearances in the series all-time.

"I just tried to use my sinker effectively," Cook said. "After the first inning, I was able to pitch better. I just settled in and had Chris (Iannetta) set up middle and in, and I tried to pitch to him."

"Our guys pitched really, really well," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "Aaron's last four innings were great. They got four hits on him, and in this park, that's just a dominating effort."

Brian Fuentes got three outs in the eighth inning and closer Manny Corpas pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save for the Rockies, who aim for a three-game series sweep in Sunday's finale.

Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez left the game after the fourth due to a sore left groin and Oscar Villarreal (0-3) was greeted rudely by Colorado's offense.

Matt Holliday walked and took third on Garrett Atkins' single to left before Hawpe laced an RBI single to right, snapping a 2-2 tie. Villarreal escaped further damage by getting Clint Barmes to pop out and striking out Iannetta and Cook to end the inning.

Colorado tied the game in the fourth with an RBI single by Ryan Spilborghs against Rodriguez, who gave up one earned run and five hits with five strikeouts.

"It started with a lot of pain before the game, and getting to that point, it was a lot of pain," said Rodriguez, who will be evaluated again on Sunday. "I went to the pitching coach and said I can't go any farther because I was in a lot of pain."

Cook helped his own cause in the second with an RBI single to center, locking things up at 1-1.

Rookie J.R. Towles hit a leadoff homer - 345 feet - in the third to left that just made it into the first row of the Crawford Boxes giving Houston a 2-1 lead.

The Astros opened the scoring in the first when Michael Bourn reached on an error by second baseman Barmes, stole second and reached third on Kaz Matsui's infield single. Bourn came home when Miguel Tejada grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Houston manager Cecil Cooper was ejected in the bottom of the seventh for arguing a call after Geoff Blum drove one into deep center, but Spilborghs came across and appeared to make a diving snowcone catch showing the ball in his non-glove hand.

"(Spilborghs) caught it. From his angle, he caught it," Cooper said. "From mine, he didn't catch it. And they all got together and said the same thing. Nobody saw it any differently. From my eyes it was. Plain and simple.

"It was a big part of the ballgame, and they blew it. If they want to fine me and censor me, then go ahead, but I'm going to tell you just the way it is. I think they blew it. I think they all blew it."

However, replays showed that Spilborghs had dropped the ball and covered it up with his body. After the umpires conferred, they let the play stand as Cooper was ejected by home plate umpire Rick Reed for arguing even more after the conference.

"It was just another bad call ... It was a hit. I thought it was a hit," Blum said. I saw the ball go in his glove. I saw the ball bounce, and I also saw him raise the ball with his bare hand, which was not the ball that it went in. It's a lot easier for me to slow and see things.

"I guess, but I figure when the guy dives and makes the catch with his glove and raises it with his bare hand out of the other side, it's a little fishy, but they made the call."

Spilborghs disagreed.

"It was an out. (Blum) hit it hard, I caught it in the air and when I landed I tried to show (the umpire) the ball," Spilborghs said. "You do whatever you can instinctively to prove you caught (the ball)."