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Cook stymies Dodgers, wins fifth straight start

May 5, 2008 - 12:19 AM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) - The Colorado Rockies dodged their recent bullpen woes by mostly avoiding it on Sunday - thanks to Aaron Cook.

Cook tossed seven-plus strong innings, leading the Colorado Rockies to a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a three-game set.

For the fifth time this season, Cook (5-1) ended a multiple-game losing streak for the Rockies, who were on a three-game slide heading into Sunday. He has been about the only good news associated with a struggling pitching staff that has seen its starters falter and its bullpen blow late leads.

"I'm just being able to be consistent right now with my pitches, and I think that's the biggest thing (that is) allowing us to have a chance to win games," Cook said. "Guys are playing great defense behind me. I'm a ground-ball pitcher, so I really need them, and they are picking me up big-time."

The veteran sinkerballer, who won his fifth straight start, retired the first 10 Dodgers he faced until he surrendered a double to Juan Pierre in the fourth. The only other extra-base hit Cook allowed over 7 2/3 innings was a solo shot by Andre Ethier in the fifth.

"Heading into this season, I think he was determined and focused to be the guy that he can be and not be something else,"Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said of Cook. "He's really focused on making pitches with his sinker and then pitching off the sinking fastball.

"(He's) not trying to become a four-pitch guy, not trying to become a guy who's got to throw secondary pitches for strikes when he's behind in the count. He's starting to come into his own."

Cook allowed two runs and nine hits while striking out two to halt the Dodgers' eight-game winning streak.

Despite the end of the streak, Dodgers manager Joe Torre expects a quick bounceback.

"I certainly feel much better about the team," Torre said. "Coming to the park expecting to win is a nice way to feel, and I expect we'll get another streak started tomorrow.

"We showed a lot of resiliency. A lot of games could have gone both ways. We kept coming back in games. Our people had a lot of good at-bats. It seems like it's catching on, like our lineup is grinding out at-bats."

Taylor Buchholz, who relieved Cook with two outs in the eighth, gave the weary bullpen a much-needed boost when he recorded the final four outs of the game for his first save of the season.

Los Angeles' own sinkerballer, Derek Lowe (2-2), struggled from the start, allowing base hits to the first three batters he faced and three runs in the first inning. He retired nine straight batters after the 51-pitch first inning but permitted two more runs in the fifth, his final inning of action.

"When you throw 50 pitches, that is certainly uncharacteristic of what he does," Torre said. "But he kept his pitch count manageable ... which sort of saved us and saved him at that point in time. But he started out ball one, ball two (a lot) and that's a tough way to pitch."

"You never look at a game and come in saying you're going to lose, but for some reason, a lot of guys have one place where they don't feel the most comfortable," said Lowe, who is 1-4 at Coors Field since joining the Dodgers. "No way do you go out there thinking you'll pitch a bad game. ... I know I never needed 43 pitches to get the first out (before)."

Scott Podsednik led off the game for Colorado with a single and a quick stolen base. Omar Quintanilla rolled a grounder just inside first base for an RBI double.

Matt Holliday floated a single to shallow center field, scoring Quintanilla, and Todd Helton and Garrett Atkins each drew walks to load the bases with none out. After a weak popout from Brad Hawpe, Chris Iannetta drove home Holliday with a sacrifice fly to give the Rockies a 3-0 lead.

Lowe took some more lumps in the fifth when Cook helped his own cause with a single to lead off the frame. Holliday drove Cook home but was retired after he took too far of a turn at first base.

Atkins drove in another run before the inning ended to put the Rockies ahead, 5-1.