Rockies-Angels: Rockies' Offense Explosive on Road, Win Lucky 17th-of-18

Manager Jim Tracy said tonight that, "Momentum begins on the mound," and that was certainly the truth Monday night.

Aaron Cook came into this game against the Angels at 6-3 with a 4.23 ERA, but tonight he looked like a true ace. Cook was throwing all over the zone with surgical precision.

He used commanding movement to both sides of the plate, creating many ground balls against the Angels.

The Rockies were playing strong defense in behind him as well, making it somewhat easier on him.

Tulo roamed to his left over and over again. Once, he went all the way behind second base running straight to his left, but still made an amazing on-target throw to Helton at first.

He also hit well, as it was two for Tulo' on two-base hits (doubles) in the game after he hit another one in the seventh.

But, the biggest hitter for Colorado Monday was Brad Hawpe.

Hawpe hit a three-run home run in the fifth, a fitting present on his 30th birthday. As Tracy said, "Offensively, we did a lot of good things. A big home run from Brad Hawpe that opened the game up, and bits and pieces, and contribution pretty much up and down the lineup."

For the Rockies Monday, everyone was hitting well, especially against starter Matt Palmer. Palmer was sub-par and seemed unfocused on the game.

Seth Smith (2-for-4) and Hawpe's home runs were roped, line drive-looking hits that barely cleared the fence each time as each player showcased their own raw strength.

Todd Helton went 2-for-4 and hit a sliding double just fair down the right field line, putting Colorado up 8-1 after the sixth.

Troy Tulowitzki also went 2-for-4, scoring the last and 11th run for the Rockies after working his way around the bases, and I mean it took work.

Well, he stole second, was hit over to third, and then ran home on a wild pitch—the Angels sixth of the night.

Rockies win for the 17th time in 18 games.

The win tonight made nine straight road wins for the Rockies, which puts them at 20-and-18 on the road overall, and four games over .500.

The win was a huge moment for Aaron Cook as he is now the winningest pitcher in Rockies' history at 59-46, just passing Jason Jennings. Cook improved his numbers to 7-3 overall, going seven innings deep, and allowing one run on only three hits with four strike outs.

On the flip side, the Angels' starting pitcher Palmer was 6-0 to start the year, but earned his first loss tonight against the white-hot Rockies.

For the Rockies, Cook summed up the Rockies' current run in his post-game interview saying, "It's something special. Fun to be here, fun to be with these guys, and I hope I'm here for a long time." 

He continued, "Guys are playing like High School—playing the game the right way and having fun playing it, everyone is enjoying coming to the ballpark right now, and I think you're starting to see the results."