The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
This season’s dichotomous Colorado Rockies team will be remembered both as a home team that can almost always find a way to win and a road team that goes limp and leaves fans unsatisfied.
The Rockies stuck to that script last night, edging out the Atlanta Braves 5-4 for their second consecutive win (recap via The Denver Post).
The win was largely due to solid pitching by Jason Hammel, as well as timely hitting, most notably from Todd Helton. The aging first baseman, who’s been bothered by a nagging back injury for most of the season, claimed four hits, including the game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Of course, Helton (pictured) has been one of the main reasons for the Rockies’ disappointing season, along with the other five players on the roster who make more than $5 million annually.
In a separate article, the Post points out that all six of the big-money players on the team—Helton, pitchers Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, Huston Street, and Jorge De La Rosa, and former outfielder Brad Hawpe—have spent time on the disabled list this year.
In Hawpe’s case, his noticeable slump was too much for the team to deal with, and he was released last week. But he’s drawing interest from several teams, including the Rockies’ division rivals San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres, but most of the interest is coming from the Texas Rangers, reports The Dallas Morning News.