Cook finds right recipe against Pirates

Adjustment gives Colorado sweep against Pittsburgh

By Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 20, 2008 at 3:34 p.m.

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Aaron Cook makes a barehanded pickup of a groundball to throw out the Pirates' Raul Chavez in the fourth inning.

The trademark sinking action was missing from his pitches. Aaron Cook was overthrowing, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were taking hearty, productive swings, reaping the results in the first inning Sunday.

"I knew that if I kept doing that all day, it was going to be a real short outing," Cook said.

Instead, Cook, incorporating advice from pitching coach Bob Apodaca, made a quick adjustment and settled into a remarkable groove.

He retired 18 of the final 19 batters he faced, allowing only a harmless single over his final six innings.

Meanwhile, the Rockies offense awakened against Zach Duke after he retired the first 10 batters he faced, and the Rockies completed their first four-game sweep of the Pirates by walloping them 11-3.

The third-place Rockies are six games behind Arizona and Los Angeles, who share first place in the National League West. And the Dodgers begin a three-game series tonight at Coors Field, where the Rockies have won nine of their past 10 games and are 17-7 since June 1.

"We haven't played well within the division," said manager Clint Hurdle, referring to the Rockies' 13-23 record against NL West foes. "This will be an opportunity for us to take another step forward. They've made some personnel changes, not a lot. . . . Everybody in the West knows what's at stake. So there's no mystery."

There was nothing subtle about the Rockies' attack Sunday.

Eleven of their 15 hits went for extra bases, including eight doubles - two by Ian Stewart, who drove in three runs - a triple and back-to-back home runs by Jeff Baker and Matt Holliday that capped a four-run fifth, when the Rockies went ahead 6-3.

The Rockies outscored the hapless Pirates 28-9 in the series while batting .328 (44-for-134) with 18 doubles, three triples and six homers.

During the series, the Rockies went 15-for-49 (.306) with runners in scoring position.

"We're not having as many big swings," Hurdle said. "We're using the big part of the ballpark. . . . Even with two strikes, we're looking to cover (pitches) away and react (on the ones) in - just getting in better counts and making people pitch."

The Pirates made Cook work during a 25-pitch first, when he allowed three runs on four hits and his only walk.

After Nate McLouth, the third successive batter to reach base, singled home a run, Apodaca visited the mound and told Cook to keep his weight on his back side a little longer, an adjustment to keep him from overthrowing and help him sink the ball more consistently.

The results weren't instant during an inning when Cook was "a little geeked up, trying to throw the ball a little too hard coming off the All-Star break. And I was just out of rhythm."

But Cook got in sync in the second, allowing only Duke to reach base on a leadoff single in the fifth during the rest of his seven-inning stint. Duke was retired on an inning-ending double play that enabled Cook, who got 14 of his 21 outs on groundballs, to face the minimum 18 batters in his final six innings.

The left-handed hitting Stewart struck out on his first at-bat but doubled home a run in the fifth and doubled home two more in the sixth, finishing the left-hander Duke with that hit.

Stewart hit .218 with 28 strikeouts in 55 at-bats in a one-month stay with the Rockies that ended June 22.

Near the end of that stint, he had a long talk with hitting coach Alan Cockrell "about taking some of my body out of my swing and just using my hands. I think when I was here earlier in the year, I had a lot of body kind of going forward and then my hands were going. Now I'm trying to get my hands going, just using my hands to hit the ball."

At the All-Star Game last week, Cockrell spoke with Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez about their pregame drills that include diligently hitting off a batting tee.

"Now we're going to try to get in a routine every day, something similar to what they do," said Stewart, who had no inkling he was going to be recalled Saturday from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

That move was made in conjunction with shifting Garrett Atkins from third base to replace injured first baseman Todd Helton.

The result is Stewart, who occasionally played second base with the Rockies during his first stint, will get the bulk of the time at third base.

"They're giving me such a great opportunity to play," Stewart said, "I need to be able to come out here and produce. To be able to play my natural position and the fact that they've told me I'm going to be playing a lot, it gives me confidence going into the game."

• July 20, 2008

  8:07 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  fjv1026 writes:

  Ok, ok...it's the Pirates, so I'm not getting excited yet but I am liking the direction we're going! Viva Cookie!

• July 20, 2008

  9:40 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  wiscbum writes:

  I agree.. just the Pirates... however, a Big turn in the right direction.

  Now, the Rox sweep the Dodgers.... and I'm a true believer WITHOUT doubts then!

  Can't wait to get Tulo, Helton and Francis back... as long as they are 100% healthy, they will make the team better!

  Go Rox!

• July 20, 2008

  10:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  jeremynix writes:

  So far this year, every time we get all our starters back we go in the tank. I think they should just stick with what's working.

• July 21, 2008

  8:35 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  malis writes:

  The Good News: glad to see them take advantage of a poor team with poor pitching (they weren't doing that earlier in the year).

  The Bad News. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has as story today titled "Pirates: Worst Pitching Staff Ever?" ... and they may be right.

  You're right wiscbum...let's see how they do against the Dodgers.

• July 21, 2008

  11:55 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  arvada_mark writes:

  I think Atkins at 1st & Stewy at 3rd is the look this team will have when Helton is gone. I'd rather have Helton, but I'm pretty sure the front office has secretly wanted Helton gone for several years now. Although, someday, Stewart will become a + .300 hitter, gold glove caliber, stadium filler which will demand himself a large payday...from a team not named the Rockies because they build from within, & then build from within, & then build from within, then turn down all trade offers for any talent, then build from within again.

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