Fansided

Colorado Rockies top moments tournament: Rocktober streak (part 4)

By Noah Yingling |
DENVER - SEPTEMBER 18: Matt Holliday #5 of the Colorado Rockies goes to bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 18, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 3-1 in the first game of a double header. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER - SEPTEMBER 18: Matt Holliday #5 of the Colorado Rockies goes to bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 18, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 3-1 in the first game of a double header. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
1 of 4
Next
DENVER – SEPTEMBER 18: Matt Holliday #5 of the Colorado Rockies goes to bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 18, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 3-1 in the first game of a double header. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER – SEPTEMBER 18: Matt Holliday #5 of the Colorado Rockies goes to bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on September 18, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 3-1 in the first game of a double header. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

We continue with part four of our Rocktober streak series with win number five in the streak. That was on this day, September 20th, ten years ago against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This also is one of the moments in our top 32 moments in Colorado Rockies franchise history tournament.

On September 20th, 2007, the Colorado Rockies continued their winning streak on their way to the playoffs as the National League Wild Card team. They would face the Los Angeles Dodgers for the fourth straight game at Coors Field in the game. The Dodgers would present this as their starting lineup:

  1. Juan Pierre, CF
  2. Tony Abreu, SS
  3. James Loney, 1B
  4. Jeff Kent, 2B
  5. Luis Gonzalez, LF
  6. Russell Martin, C
  7. Andre Ethier, RF
  8. Andy LaRoche, 3B
  9. Derek Lowe, SP

The Rockies would present this as their starting lineup:

  1. Kazuo Matsui, 2B
  2. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
  3. Matt Holliday, LF
  4. Todd Helton, 1B
  5. Garrett Atkins, 3B
  6. Brad Hawpe, RF
  7. Ryan Spilborghs, CF
  8. Chris Iannetta, C
  9. Ubaldo Jimenez, SP

A Recap of the game

Jimenez would start off the game well as he retired the Dodgers 1-2-3 on just ten pitches. In the bottom of the first, Matsui led off with a single. After walks to Tulowitzki and Helton, the Rockies had the bases loaded with only one out. However, Atkins and Hawpe both struck out to end the inning without any damage.

The Dodgers drew two singles and a walk in the top of the second but they also didn’t score. The Rockies would come up in the bottom of the second and they would blow the game wide open.

DENVER – OCTOBER 15: Infielder Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies fields a ground ball out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Coors Field on October 15, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
DENVER – OCTOBER 15: Infielder Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies fields a ground ball out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Coors Field on October 15, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Ryan Spilborghs led off the inning unceremoniously as he hit a weak tapper to shortstop for the first out of the inning. Chris Iannetta would follow him with a one-out single. Jimenez would strike out to make it two outs in the inning. Kazuo Matsui would keep the inning alive, though, as he singled to right field.

Troy Tulowitzki followed Matsui and, on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, he launched a double to deep right-center field that scored Iannetta and got Matsui to third to make it 1-0 Rockies.

Matt Holliday was red hot entering this game as during the winning streak, he was he was 11-for-16 (a .688 average), with seven runs, two doubles, four home runs, and eight RBI. He would improve on all of these as hit followed Tulowitzki and he hit a three-run bomb to left-center field to make it 4-0 Rockies.

The Rockies would keep piling it on as Todd Helton came up with a single to keep it rolling and Garrett Atkins doubled to left. Brad Hawpe came up and he doubled to right field to drive in both Helton and Atkins to make it 6-0 Rockies.

Ryan Spilborghs came up for the second time in the inning (still against Derek Lowe) and grounded out to end the inning.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 24: Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies runs to first as he singles against the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning at Coors Field on September 24, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 24: Todd Helton #17 of the Colorado Rockies runs to first as he singles against the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning at Coors Field on September 24, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

From the top of the third inning all the through the top of the sixth inning, there were a few walks and two singles scattered between both sides but nothing came in the way of scoring.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Todd Helton singled on the first pitch of the inning and on the third pitch of the inning, Garrett Atkins singled as well. Brad Hawpe singled Helton in to make it 7-0 Rockies. The Rockies were retired 1-2-3 after Hawpe, though.

Jeff Kent led off the top of the seventh inning and he doubled. After a passed ball, Luis Gonzalez got Kent home on an infield groundout. Russell Martin followed with a walk and Andre Ethier hit a two-run home run to make it 7-3.

After that, Matt Herges came on in relief of Jimenez and on his first pitch, Andy LaRoche hit a solo home run to make it 7-4. However, Herges did not allow anything else.

Reliever Jon Meloan came on for the Dodgers in the bottom of the seventh and he hit Jamey Carroll, who came in for Kazuo Matsui earlier, with a pitch. Troy Tulowitzki followed with a two-run home run to make it 9-4 Rockies.

The scoring was complete for both sides as the Rockies would end up winning by a score of 9-4.

Ubaldo Jimenez got the win to make him 4-4 (he only made 15 total starts in the season). He went 6 1/3 innings only allowing five hits and three runs.

Derek Lowe got the loss as he dropped to 12-13. He went three innings allowing eight hits, six runs (all earned), and five walks.

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 19: Chris Iannetta #20 of the Colorado Rockies during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on April 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 19: Chris Iannetta #20 of the Colorado Rockies during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on April 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

More from Rox Pile

The Rockies pitching staff, through five games in the Rocktober streak, had an ERA of 3.60. They only average 5.6 strikeouts per nine innings so they weren’t particularly overpowering but they were still pitching well. They only allowed an average of two walks per nine innings as well.

The numbers for the offense, however, were mind boggling. In the first five games of the streak, they averaged eight runs per game. Eight! They averaged 13.4 hits per nine innings, 14 doubles (nearly three per nine innings), and 13 home runs (nearly three per game).

Even more mind boggling was their offensive slash line: a .372 batting average, a .430 on-base percentage, and a .667 slugging percentage.

After this game, the Rockies would go on the road and the rest of the wins in the streak happened on the road. They would head to San Diego and they would head to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers again.

Voting for our tournament

Check out our Twitter account, @RoxPileFS, for voting for our top 32 moments in Rockies franchise history and for other news and notes about the Rockies.

Next: Part Three of the Rocktober streak series

For part five of the Rocktober series, check back here tomorrow to look back on one of the best moments in Rockies history.

Next
Home / Colorado Rockies History

Schedule