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Late-inning heroics by Hawpe send Rockies past Diamondbacks

Aug 14, 2008 - 6:20 AM By Brady Delander PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Brian Fuentes would have preferred a less dramatic finish, but the Colorado Rockies' closer still managed to face down one of the game's best home run hitters and win, thanks to the support given to him by Brad Hawpe.

Hawpe hit two doubles before unloading a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Colorado Rockies regained some respect with a 6-5 victory over the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Facing 6-11 righthander Jon Rauch, Chris Iannetta ripped a double that hit under the yellow stripe on the wall in left-center. Jeff Baker dropped a sacrifice bunt to advance Iannetta, but it was all a moot point two batters later when Hawpe crushed a 1-0 pitch into the upper deck in center.

"I was looking for a fastball up," Hawpe said. "In the past, they - as a team - have tried to beat me with fastballs up and in. Today was a good day as a team and I felt good offensively."

After Taylor Buchholz (5-3) pitched a scoreless top of the eighth, Fuentes surrendered a run and loaded the bases with one out in the ninth before striking out Chris Young and forcing Adam Dunn to ground out to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to end the game for his 22nd save in 26 opportunities.

"I know Adam is a guy who has a lot of power," Fuentes said. "But I was able to get a groundball, so it all worked out. I pitch to my strengths 99 percent of the time, especially in a situation like that.

"I much rather would like to have the bases empty in the ninth, but it's good to know that I am capable of doing it."

Clint Barmes and Ian Stewart also homered and Matt Holliday connected for an RBI single as the Rockies picked up their second victory in the past seven games, all at Coors Field. The win was also the second in 11 games against the Diamondbacks.

The Rockies opened the first inning with Barmes drawing a walk and Willy Taveras connecting for a single.

Holliday put Colorado on the board, plating Barmes with a hard-hit single. The next batter, Iannetta, appeared to ground into a double play, but a throwing error by shortstop Stephen Drew allowed Taveras to score from first, putting the Rockies up, 2-0.

Stewart, the National League Rookie of the Month for July, added to the lead with a solo home run to open the second for a 3-0 advantage.

"We got a good start, and we were able to do some things that we needed to do to win a ballgame," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "We needed that."

But the Diamondbacks finally got to starter Jeff Francis in the fifth when Chad Tracy put Arizona on the scoreboard with a solo home run on the first pitch of the frame.

However, Barmes matched Tracy in the bottom half, taking the first pitch he saw from Arizona starter Doug Davis deep for his seventh homer.

The Diamondbacks pulled closer in the sixth as Mark Reynolds drove in Young with a two-out single.

Chris Snyder opened the seventh with a double, prompting the exit of Francis, and pinch hitter Tony Clark grounded out to plate Snyder, cutting the Rockies' lead to 4-3.

"I think things I've been working on mechanically got away from me in the fifth and sixth innings," Francis said.

Drew hit a double to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games and Young laced a single to left field to score Drew and tie the score at 4-4.

"Those few runs early on hurt," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "But we had a chance to win it, right up to that last at-bat. Adam hit the ball right on the screws, but they played it perfectly."