Cook's effort for naught
DENVER - In any other circumstance, Aaron Cook would have been afforded the chance to bask in the spotlight.
No other pitcher in more than 50 years had started a World Series game with such a long layoff, but Cook accepted the challenge to help his beleaguered pitching staff in last night's must-win Game 4. Having not pitched since Aug. 10, Cook was as good as the Rockies could have wished for.
The Red Sox scratched out runs in the first and fifth innings, then sent him to the bench with Mike Lowell's leadoff home run in the seventh that made it 3-0. Considering that none of the other three Rockies starters had pitched more than 4 2/3 innings, Cook's six-inning stint provided a chance at victory - except for the fact that his team didn't find an offensive spark until late, and saw its season end with a 4-3 loss.
Cook, 28, had been sidetracked in his career a few years ago by blood clots. Fighting back from that hurdle, he was the team's top starter for most of this season before being sidelined by an oblique injury that threatened to shelve his season. He wasn't on Colorado's roster for either the Division Series or the National League Championship Series, but was activated for the World Series.
It was suggested that Clint Hurdle was going with Cook out of sentiment, but the big righthander validated his manager's choice with a solid effort.
Cook is now 0-3 lifetime against the Sox, having also been on the short end of a hard-luck 2-1 loss back in June at Fenway.
Pitch counts
With Hideki Okajima having pitched 2 1/3 innings in Game 2 Thursday, plus an inning in Game 3 Saturday, manager Terry Francona said the team would monitor him during batting practice to determine his availability for last night. "We need to keep an eye on him," Francona said. "When we go out for BP we'll kind of see where we are with him. He's the one guy that we do need to keep an eye on." Apparently, Okajima looked strong enough, because Francona called on him to pitch the eighth. But the lefthander gave up his second home run in as many nights, a two-run shot by Garrett Atkins that pulled the Rockies within 4-3. Matt Holliday took Okajima deep for a three-run homer Saturday night . . . When Daisuke Matsuzaka got his two-run single in Game 3, it signaled a marked change from spring training, when he was ordered to keep the bat on his shoulder in a start in Bradenton, Fla. "We were trying to tell our starters, 'Don't swing,' cause we didn't want anybody to pull a rib muscle," Francona said. "First of all, getting them to understand isn't always the easiest. Then, when the game starts, half of them forget. So I was really trying to explain this is why we're doing it. You'll get a chance to hit. Showed him his home run [on video, from Japan], said, 'I'm aware you can hit a little bit, but you're not swinging.' "
He stalled in clutch
Troy Tulowitzki enjoyed a memorable rookie season, but the same can't be said for his World Series performance. He fanned three times last night, twice with men on base. In fact, in nine at-bats in four games with men on base, the heralded shortstop had just two hits and four strikeouts. He hit .230 (3 for 13) overall . . . Atkins was one of five Rockies to drive in more than 90 runs in 2007, but until his two-run home run in the eighth, he had driven home just one run in 10 postseason games . . . While Colorado pitchers were consistently rocked in the first inning, its batters struggled, too. Boston was 9 for 20 with three doubles and a home run in the first; Colorado had but two singles in 15 at-bats . . . The Red Sox hit into a record number of double plays against Cleveland in the ALCS, but the Rockies turned only three in the World Series - all last night. The middle one was an unassisted effort by first baseman Todd Helton . . . Colorado, which set a major league record for team fielding percentage (.98925), showed why in the Series. The Rockies played four errorless games . . . Brad Hawpe's home run to lead off the seventh was his fourth hit of the World Series. He did, however, strike out eight times. No other Rockie struck out more than five . . . Kaz Matsui for a second straight game was in the leadoff spot, which seemingly agreed with him in the postseason. With a 1-for-4 performance last night, Matsui was 9 for 21 (.428) in the 1-hole. When batting second, Matsui was .200 (5 for 25).
A hole in center
Trying yet again to light an offensive fire, Hurdle moved Ryan Spilborghs into the starting lineup, his third center fielder in four games. Spilborghs went 0 for 3 to stretch his hitless streak to 11 in the postseason. Willy Taveras played the first two games in center field, but went 0 for 7. Cory Sullivan got the nod in Saturday's Game 3, went 0 for 2, and gave way to Spilborghs as a pinch hitter in the sixth. Sullivan entered last night's game as a pinch hitter and laced a single in the seventh . . . Only one Rockies position player didn't get into the game - backup catcher Chris Ianetta . . . When the Rockies scored two in sixth and three in the seventh Saturday night, it marked just the third time an opponent had scored in consecutive innings in 13 postseason games against Boston . . . The third has been by far Boston's most productive inning (23 runs) and the Rockies contributed mightily to that Saturday when the Red Sox scored six times . . . Rockies lefthander Jeremy Affeldt pitched in all four games.
Offensive numbers
Between Manny Ramírez (.381), Mike Lowell (.340), Dustin Pedroia (.304), Kevin Youkilis (.388), J.D. Drew (.340), Jacoby Ellsbury (.333), and Ortiz (.372), the Red Sox had seven regulars hitting above .300 for the 2007 postseason going into last night's game. Those are pretty good numbers, especially considering this team faced Anaheim's John Lackey, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona (twice apiece), and Colorado's Jeff Francis . . . As for their offense in the World Series, the Red Sox matched the second-highest total for runs in the first three games with 25. They also ranked fourth-most (after three games) in runs in a four-game series, behind the 1932 Yankees (37), the 1989 Athletics (32), and the 1928 Yankees (27) . . . When the Red Sox won Game 3, it marked the 23d time a team has taken a 3-0 lead in the World Series. All 22 previous teams have won the series, with 19 taking it in a sweep and the remaining three going five games . . . Game 3 set a record for the longest nine-inning game in World Series history at 4 hours 19 minutes. It surpassed the mark by five minutes, set by Philadelphia and Toronto Oct. 20, 1993.
Lost in a fog
There's no way of knowing how things would have turned out, but Rockies fans would be justified in questioning Hurdle's handling of starting pitcher Josh Fogg in the third inning Saturday night. In a game the team had to win, the first order of business was to not let it get away, and Fogg did just that. Hurdle never should have let it happen. To recap: Fogg had wriggled out of trouble in both the first and second innings, but in the third he was touched for consecutive hits by Ellsbury (double), Pedroia (bunt single), and Ortiz (double). It was 1-0 when he intentionally walked Ramírez, then Lowell made it 3-0 with a two-run single. Fogg should have been lifted right there. The next batter, Drew, popped to short, then Fogg yielded a single to Jason Varitek. At this point, he had faced 16 Red Sox batters, given up eight hits and three runs, and you had to wonder if Hurdle was watching the same game everyone else was. Earth to Hurdle: Your pitcher wasn't just named Fogg, he was in a fog. That he walked Julio Lugo was hard to understand. That he gave up a two-run single to Matsuzaka was inexplicable. That he was down, 5-0, but allowed to stay in and face Ellsbury was inexcusable. Ellsbury's second double of the inning made it 6-0. Finally, Hurdle woke up. Apparently, giving up 10 hits to 19 batters was enough to convince him that Fogg should be lifted. The fact that the next three pitchers - Franklin Morales, Jeremy Affeldt, and Matt Herges - combined to retire 13 of 14 hitters made Hurdle's handling of Fogg even more perplexing. Even with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh, the Rockies had been put in too deep a hole by their starting pitcher.
Blake Street hangover
Whereas it looked like Bourbon Street Saturday afternoon, Blake Street was awash in a peaceful solitude hours before Game 4. Maybe it was the Sunday church factor. Perhaps it was the 3-0 deficit faced by their beloved Rockies. But more likely it had to do with a recovery aspect, given that Saturday was the perfect storm (the great excitement of Game 3, televised college football games galore, and the Halloween ingredient) for a day-long festive atmosphere. Whatever the reason, yesterday was much more subdued on Blake Street, which features a seemingly endless string of sports bars and burger joints . . . There has been a steady grumbling out here about the number of Red Sox fans who've not only made the trip, but secured tickets. They got them via the Internet. Thus do some people think part of the Rockies' home-field advantage was compromised.
